Hotel California
by Karu Leonnese
Summary: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." There's something odd about the hotel Gojyo finds himself in...[58,39,AU]
1. On a dark desert highway

Hotel California

A/N: Hmm. This song was played over and over. You know what that means, right? ::grins:: Not so much a songficceh as a ficceh inspired by song. Beh grateful I didn't use Peter Gabriel. ::snickers:: Shock the Monkey... This oughta beh fun. Plus I'm reading Clive Barker right now, which -always- makes for good horror stories. For the most part it's kinda AU, so I hope that doesn't throw anyone off.

Warnings: Shounen-ai and a borrowed cast. 58, 39 and maybeh some one-sided 38 (sorry Pai!). Violence, language, horror and FUN! Hotel California c/r The Eagles.

Chapter One: On a dark desert highway...

---

A car sped down the road, most likely over the current speed limit. The driver inside, aware of this, didn't care. It was late and he had been alone on the road for quite some time, so he didn't see much use in slowing down.

Gojyo frowned, flicking the filter of a spent cigarette out the open window. He hated to be out driving like this on cloudy nights. The rain hitting the windshield was that sputtering kind, when the clouds couldn't decide whether or not to actually shed their moisture. Not enough to impair driving as of yet, but enough to piss the redhead off.

As it was, aforementioned redhead was already quite pissed. The rain was only making things worse. He didn't want to be driving right now, especially when there were better things to be doing. Or better people for that matter. But there had been a slight discrepancy at a card game, and he had happened to make an enemy or two that weren't good to have. Not that any enemy was good to have, but these were some of the worse ones. And these worse ones just happened to know where he lived.

So, upon coming home to a ransacked apartment (though one would be hard-pressed to figure it out, with the man's lack of cleaning) to find some very unfriendly faces waiting for him, he did what any smart person in his situation would do.

He ran like hell.

That had been a couple of hours ago. Since then, Gojyo had driven straight out of town, and onto various country roads. Roads so slight and meaningless they didn't even get names. He didn't have the best sense of direction, and he wasn't trying to get anyplace in particular, so he soon found himself lost on the back streets. The scenery had changed from city to town, and finally to desert. He was going nowhere pretty fucking fast.

He pulled the car over to the side of the road, scanning carefully behind him in case his pursuers had decided he was worth following this far. Confident in his safety, he reached over to the glove box, hoping to find a map. His luck wasn't –that- good

Gojyo let his hands fall into his lap as he stared blankly out the windshield. What the hell was he going to do? He couldn't go home, -that- was for sure. He could either try and find his way back to town and get a room somewhere, or he could continue on and try to find something. Either way, there was most likely a lot more driving to be done. He looked at his watch. 3:29am. He wasn't going to make it very much further, not on what little sleep he'd gotten the day before. Maybe he should just sleep in the car...

His eyes caught a flash of light on the horizon. He squinted, trying to see it better. After its initial flash, it had grown dimmer. But it was constant, an artificial light that advertised some kind of business. Which gave Gojyo hope that there was a town close by.

Making up his mind, he eased the car into gear. He would drive to this town, find someplace to stay and call the bar where he worked. Maybe one of the other bartenders had a place he could stay for a while, but at least he could explain the situation to them. All he had to do now was to keep driving towards that light.

Easier said than done. The clouds above finally decided it was time to let go, and the rain began to pound on the car. Gojyo cursed it, flicking on the windshield wipers and taking out another cigarette. It was hard to keep sight of the dim light, without adding the rain to his disability. Fortunately the road was one-way for the most part, giving him little actual decision making in the process. Assuring himself that he was going to get there soon, he turned on the radio for some distraction. Moving the dial through whiney country, crappy pop and angst-ridden alternative, he settled on a rock station, clicking the volume up a few notches.

Another hour or so later, he came across an exit ramp. He took it, and it led to a dead end in front of a large house. It was an old house, complete with its old-style creepy atmosphere. It was ancient. It would have looked scary enough in the daylight, let alone in the darkness, accompanied with a heavy rainstorm. This was where the light had led him; there was no doubting that. Small spotlights placed at the ground, pointing up to shed light to its seven or so stories, lit up the house. If anything, it made the building even more eerie. There was a neon sign at the front, advertising it as a hotel. Hotel California. An odd name, seeing as they were nowhere near the state.

But this was his only hope for a room for quite some time, so he drove in. Even though the parking lot was right next to the door, Gojyo was drenched with rain by the time he made it inside. Wringing out his hair a bit, he looked around. The entry room was large, with a staircase leading to a long hallway and two other large rooms to either side.

A desk stood beside the staircase. It was empty as Gojyo walked up to it. He didn't see a bell, so he called out.

"Hello?" His voice echoed through the room, and he winced. But it seemed to do the trick, because a woman entered from one of the side rooms.

"Good evening! Welcome to the Hotel California. Are you here for a room?" she went to the desk, leaning on the counter. She had long wavy black hair, held up in a high ponytail and calm hazel eyes.

"I guess so," Gojyo held up his arms, "Sorry about being wet."

"It's no problem," she replied coolly, pushing a book facing him on the edge of the desk, "I just need you to sign here."

He signed the registry book and paid for his room. Luckily he had had the foresight to cash his last check before he went home.

"You don't have any bags?" she asked, putting the book back under the counter.

"No. This wasn't exactly a planned trip."

"I understand," she offered him a calm smile, "I'm Kanzeon. But you can call me Kannon. Everyone else around here does."

Everyone else? It seemed too quiet for there to be other people around here. But it –was- late.

"Feel free to call if you need anything," Kannon continued, handing him a key, "You'll be staying in Room 15. It's up the stairs and to your left."

Gojyo nodded his thanks and went upstairs, taking care not to drip too much water on the carpet as he passed. He found his room easily enough and unlocked the door. The room was quite big, as far as hotel standards go, with a full bed taking up the center. A small table and two chairs were off to the side, and a doorway led to the bathroom. There was no television, but there was a radio on the nightstand. He spotted a radiator on one of the walls and began to peel off his wet clothes, laying them there to dry.

He was tired as hell, but he decided a shower would be best first. He padded into the bathroom, swinging the door shut behind him. The water was warm and helped Gojyo relax a bit. After getting out and wrapping a towel around his waist, he went back into the main part of the room to check his clothes.

He must have been in the shower for longer than he realized, because his clothes were fully dry when he touched them. He slipped back into them, leaving the vest on the radiator, and threw himself on the bed. He hated driving at night so much because it made him tired. He was ready to sleep well into the morning and call in work tomorrow.

Gojyo had just closed his eyes when he heard a noise from the hall. It sounded like a muffled thump. Passing it off as just one of the other guests out for a midnight stroll, he turned on his side. It sounded again. Much to his body's protest, he decided to get up and check it out.

Sticking his head out the door, he didn't see anything. The hall was deserted, both up and down. Shrugging, he turned to go back to bed, when a blur of white turned the corner and zoomed his way. Surprised, he stood still, and the white flash flew into his room through the crack in the door.

"Shit!" Gojyo yelled, jumping backwards. Leaving the door, he turned to inspect the room. The thing was nowhere to be found.

He heard the thump again, directly behind him. He whirled around to see a boy lying on the floor, doubled up after tripping on the rug. Looking up, he noticed Gojyo, eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh! I didn't know anyone was here! Sorry!'

Gojyo reached a hand out to help the boy up. "What the hell was that white thing?"

"He came in here?" he ran into the room, looking around.

"He? What is it?"

"Oh, sorry," The boy blinked, turning to face Gojyo, "You must be new. I'm Goku, and the 'white thing' is Hakuryuu. He's Hakkai's cat."

"So why are you running around trying to catch it?" the redhead asked, kneeling under the bed to help the boy look.

"Well, Hakkai let me see him, and I took him to Sanzo. But Sanzo's allergic to cats. I didn't know. He got really mad and made me drop Hakuryuu. I guess he's just trying to find Hakkai's room."

All these names he didn't know were confusing him, added to Goku's fast speech. He didn't reply, instead reaching under the bed and pulling out the cat.

Goku smiled gratefully. "You found him! Thanks! C'mon, let's take him back to Hakkai!"

He grabbed hold of the redhead's arm, pulling him out the door. Gojyo kept a tight hold on Hakuryuu, not wanting him to escape and start the chase all over. He tried to calm the cat down, scratching him behind the ears. Goku led him down the hall a bit, to Room 12. The boy knocked once, and then barged in. Gojyo followed awkwardly.

"Hey Hakkai, we brought back Hakuryuu!" Goku said, a bit loudly for three-thirty in the morning.

"We?" a soft voice asked. A man walked out of the bathroom, folding a towel. He stopped short upon seeing Gojyo. "Oh. Hello. I didn't realize Kannon had new guests."

"I just checked in," Gojyo muttered, "Goku chased your cat into my room."

"He did?" Hakkai looked at Goku, taking Hakuryuu from Gojyo's arms. "My apologies."

"No problem. I was just helping the kid out."

"I didn't know Sanzo was allergic to cats!" Goku said in his defense.

Hakuryuu climbed on Hakkai's shoulder, calming down. "It's okay Goku. No harm done."

Goku seemed relieved at this. "He calmed him down a lot on the way here."

Hakkai smiled at the redhead. "Thank you..."

"Gojyo."

He nodded. "Gojyo. "

"We were just about to play cards," Goku grinned at him, "You wanna play with us?"

He smiled, liking the kid already. "I would, but I need some sleep. I'm leaving tomorrow."

Goku 's smile faded as he and Hakkai shared a look. Gojyo noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well, it's just that—"Goku began.

"Goku," Hakkai interrupted, smiling once again, "I don't think this is the time for that."

"Time for what?" Gojyo crossed his arms.

"It's not my place to say," Hakkai replied, "I'll ask you kindly not to push the subject."

That's odd. But he said nothing. Instead he nodded, eager to have some likable company for a change. "I suppose a few games wouldn't hurt. What are you guys playin'?"

---

End of chappeh 1! Whatcha guys think? It's gonna get scarier later on, as well as the couples coming into play. Comments are appreciated more than a day off! ::grins::


	2. This could be Heaven or this could be He...

Hotel California

Chapter Two: This could be Heaven or this could be Hell...

A/N: Yay, second chappeh! ::grins:: I hope everyone has as much fun reading this as much as I do writing it. Whee! I'm working on all the creepy scary stuff, so it'll beh more like a horror story in the next chappeh or two. Right now it's time for EXPOSITION! And I dunno now about the whole 38 thing. If I did it, I'd hafta make Sanzo -really- mean, and I don't really wanna do that. I'll just have Kannon do all the damage in this ficceh, thankehs very much.

And just for further notice, a lot of the injuries sustained in this ficceh are based on ones I've currently fallen victim to. Such is my life. ::blinks:: anyway, on with the story!

---

The next morning brought relief from the night's rain. After a few rounds of poker with Hakkai and Goku, the redhead had excused himself and stumbled back to his room in a half-sleeping daze. He awoke sprawled in his bed, face-first in the pillow. Realizing he hadn't eaten since his last work shift, he pulled himself out of bed and, after a bit of cleaning himself up, plodded down the stairs.

Gojyo wasn't expecting anything different in the lobby since he'd come in. But when he came downstairs, he almost thought he was in a different part of the house. The lobby was filled with light, pouring in through huge windows, the curtains pushed back to welcome the sun. While last night, the hotel had seemed ominious and creepy, this daytime showcase almost put him at ease.

He wandered down the stairs, slowly taking everything in. He reached the bottom of the stairs, yawning as he entered the dining room. Instead of restaurant-style seating, the Hotel California boasted one long table, decorated with crisp white tableclothes and beautiful candles.

Kannon sat at the head of the table, picking at a plate of eggs and talking to the two on either side of her. One was Hakkai, now wearing a pair of glasses, who nodded to something she said. The other wasn't Goku, he could tell. But the unfamiliar person's face was obscured by a newspaper, which they rustled through quietly.

Gojyo heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and Goku waved at him, walking into the dining room. He grabbed Gojyo by the wrist as he walked by, pulling him to the table. Gojyo sat beside Hakkai, while Goku plopped into the chair next to the mystery person.

"Glad to see everyone awake," Kannon said, in her ever-cool demenour.

"Did you sleep well?" Hakkai asked, giving him that pleasant smile he was quickly getting used to.

"Yeah," he replied, grinning. "A lot better than I would in my car."

"Big surprise there," a voice from behind the newspaper quipped sarcastically. The paper lowered to reveal a rather annoyed-looking blond.

"I don't believe you've met Sanzo yet, Gojyo," the older brunette decided to ignore Sanzo's bad attitude.

He nodded a greeting lazily. "The one who's allergic to cats."

"Damn cats..." Sanzo muttered, rolling up his newspaper. He whacked Goku with it suddenly.

"Ow! I said I was sorry! Jeez!" the boy shielded his head in case another blow was on the way. He looked at Sanzo like a wounded puppy. "I wouldn't do it on purpose..."

"I was up three more hours sneezing thanks to your stupidity," Sanzo glared at the boy. "Stupid monkey."

Gojyo didn't think it was fair to pick on Goku, but he made a note to use the monkey nickname later on. He also caught the lingering glances the boy cast the blond's way. Interesting.

"Please don't pay them too much mind," Hakkai said quietly at his side. "They're like this all the time, but they're really quite good friends."

He laughed, watching the two across from him. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"I'll bet you two are hungry," Kannon said to Gojyo and Goku, interrupting the blond's triade.

"Starving!" Goku instantly forgetting about cats and sneezing. Gojyo smiled at the boy's hyperactivity, only to realize he was hungry as well.

---

After breakfast, Gojyo went back to his room to fully clean up. On the way, he passed Goku, who was jotting something carefully in a notebook. Seeing someone coming, the boy quickly shut his book. "Hey."

"Hey monkey," he grinned.

Goku glared at him. "I'm not a monkey. Don't you start that too."

"If the name fits, use it," Gojyo smirked, patting the brunette on the head.

"Only Sanzo's allowed to call me that."

This brought a thought to mind. "Speaking of the anger-management blond, what's the deal with you two?"

Goku tilted his head, genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

Gojyo crossed his arms, explaining his next statement simply. "It's obvious you're in love with him."

"What?!"

"Sure," he said matter-of-factly. "Anyone can tell. I did, and I've only been here one night!"

Goku narrowed his eyes poutily. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. You're just a perverted weirdo."

"Aww, what's wrong? He doesn't love you back? Poor monkey..."

"Just shut up!" the boy snapped, storming off to his room.

Gojyo suddenly felt bad for teasing him. "All right, my bad!" he called after him. "Promise I won't bring it up anymore."

Getting no answer, he opened his own door. He found a new set of clothes, folded neatly on the edge of his bed. A white dress shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Whoever put them there was an excellent judge of size, because they fit perfectly. Clothes changed, he went out into the hall.

Hakuryuu was there, pacing listlessly down the corridor. Gojyo stopped to scratch the cat's head. "Heya kitty. You wouldn't happen to know where the phone is, huh?"

"There isn't one, I'm afraid," a soft voice answered him. Hakkai walked up the stairs, scooping the white ball of fur into his arms as he continued down the hall.

"What do you mean 'there isn't one'?" Gojyo fell into step beside the shorter man. "There's gotta be a phone!"

Hakkai opened his door, offering the redhead inside. He closed it quickly behind them, petting Hakuryuu a few times before setting him on the bed. "Trust me, I've looked. Kannon doesn't keep a phone."

"Well, what about emergencies?" he sat on one of the chairs, leaning an arm on the table.

"We've never had one...at least since I've been here," Hakkai crossed his arms, gripping them at the elbow.

"How long is that?"

He looked down. "I believe it's been the better part of six years."

Gojyo looked at him incredulously. "Six years?! Why? What were you doing before that?"

His voice was sad. "I honestly can't remember what I was doing before I came here. This place does that to you. I suspect it's the same for Sanzo and Goku, though they haven't been here as long."

The redhead couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How long -have- they been here?"

This actually required some thought on Hakkai's part. "Sanzo came in my second year. I believe this is Goku's second."

Gojyo frowned. "Why don't you leave?"

Hakkai sat on the bed, not meeting his gaze. "We can't."

"Why not?"

The brunette, if possible, looked even more uncomfortable with this question. "I really can't say. I'm sure you'll figure it out for yourself soon anyway. The rest of us did."

Gojyo was getting slightly annoyed at Hakkai's evasive answers. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hakkai caught the sharpness in his tone. "I'm sorry I can't be of better help. But there's things at work here that I don't understand, let alone have the ability to explain."

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Like -that- helps," he glanced at Hakkai and immediately regretted his words. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I'm just tryin' to firgure this place out. I don't mean to get all snippy with you."

Hakkai smiled half-heartedly. "It's fine."

Gojyo stood up. "Well, if there's no phone, I'm afraid I've gotta go back into town."

The brunette sighed, but said nothing. He followed Gojyo into the hall once more.

---

"What the hell happened to my car?!" Gojyo looked around, throwing his arms up.

Hakkai stood next to him, arms wrapped around his sides. "I figured as much. This always happens."

Gojyo turned on him. Are you saying that you knew this was gonna happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

The brunette looked down. "I figured you'd get upset."

"Damn right I'm upset!" He clenched his fists. "I need to leave!"

Hakkai finally met his eyes. "Don't you get it? It doesn't matter if you need or -want- to leave! She won't let you until it's too late!" He gasped, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Too late? I don't have time for this dammit!" He turned to walk down the driveway.

"Gojyo wait!" Hakkai put his hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"Look Hakkai, you might be fine staying here, but I've got a life to get back to. So either come with me and get outta here, or just leave me the hell alone!"

Hakkai spun him around to face him. He was shaking, and speaking sharper than Gojyo'd ever heard him. "You think I don't want to leave?! You think I didn't six years ago?! I've -tried- Gojyo, believe me! This place won't let you! You stay here and it only makes things wose in the end!"

"Okay!" the redhead grabbed ahold of Hakkai's arms, attempting to calm him. "All right, you've tried. I get it. So let's try it with the two of us, okay?"

Hakkai looked up at him with wide eyes. Then finally he nodded. Gojyo let go of him and started on the driveway. The brunette cast a worried glance back at the hotel, then followed.

The afternoon heat, mixed with the moisture from last night's storm had covered the surrounding area with a thick fog. The two stayed close as they walked, turning onto the main road from the driveway.

After about half an hour of walking straight down the road, they came to another driveway. They started on it and it led them all the way...

...to the Hotel California.

Gojyo stared at the building in utter disbelief. Hakkai sighed, glancing at his friend.

"How?" he asked, a faint trace of madness deep in his tone. "We walked straight all the way! It didn't curve at all!"

"It's the hotel," Hakkai murmured with a long-suffering sigh. "There's something wrong with it. Supernaturally wrong."

"We've gotta find a way past it," Gojyo looked straight into his green eyes. "You, me, Goku. Hell, even that sanzo guy if you want."

"I...I believe we will," his face brightened. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Hey 'Kai! Gojyo!" Goku yelled, running down the porch steps and over to the pair. "Heads up Hakkai, Kannon's wondering where you guys are. She wants to see you."

Hakkai paled again.

---

A/N: End of chappeh 2! Why is Hakkai scared of Kannon? What is Goku writing in his notebook? Where did Gojyo's car go? And why is Sanzo so pissy? All this and more in later installments! Or maybeh not all of em. No one knows why Sanzo's so pissy. 'Tis one of the mysteries of life, it is...

::coughs:: I really didn't mean for it to beh so drama/angst... Ah well. Scary stuff soon! The fog thing came from a trip to the bank in the morning fog. I thought it was kinda weird. Which reminds meh, I'm taking suggestions for this! Wanna see something creepy in here? Tell me in review or e-mail! ::thumbs up:: Ah crud muffins, I'm bleeding again... ::wanders off for a band-aid::

gabyou: I had no idea, if I did use anyone's idea. Sorry. I've mailed you about it.

NekoMegami-chan: I'm really not either, but this was just too good to pass up, ne? Thankehs for the kind words!

Broken Reflection: This soon enough? ::grins:: Glad you're likin it so far!

KawaiiLilMarron: Read today's author notes for the 38 info. But there's definate 58 in the end! How can I pass those two up? ...Fooly Cooly-ing? ::shudders:: That sounds more wrong than it should...

Until next time guys!


	3. There were voices down the corridor

Hotel California

Chapter Three: There were voices down the corridor...

A/N: So sorry to all waiting for TTWH, but when the muse strikes, you gotta go with it, ne? I promise it's coming up next! And now for some Sanzo characterization and some Goku seriousness! Special thankehs to NekoMegumi-chan for her idea with the mirrors. Definitely the thing to add to the craziness. ::winks::

Time to get spooky!

---

Hakkai went immediately to see Kannon. Gojyo offered to go with him. The brunette seemed very nervous about meeting her, and he felt the need to try and help lessen this. Hakkai refused adamantly.

Gojyo crossed his arms. "You sure? You look freaked."

"I'm fine," he lied, smiling. "I'll be right back. It's nothing."

Goku frowned. "But Hakkai--"

"Goku," the older brunette interrupted, "why don't you go feed Hakuryuu, please? Take Gojyo too, give him something to do."

The boy nodded, dropping whatever he was going to say. "I'll take him to see Sanzo. I haven't talked to him since breakfast."

Now inside once again, the three stood in the lobby. "Please try not to agitate him anymore than he already is?"

"Maaaaa," Goku slumped his shoulders sheepishly. "I promise I won't Hakkai. Come right up when you're done, alright?"

He nodded. Then they separated, Hakkai to the left wing of the lobby, and Goku and Gojyo up the stairs. Walking down the hall, Gojyo stuffed his hands in his pockets, something he did when in deep thought.

He frowned. "What's the deal with Hakkai and Kannon?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Goku stammered.

"Don't play dumb with me, monkey," he cuffed the boy lightly on the head. "Anyone could see that the chick freaks him out bad. So what's goin' on?"

Goku suddenly found a loose thread on his shirt utterly fascinating. "I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it."

The redhead groaned. "Here it goes again with the cryptic shit. Whatever guys. Forget I asked, okay?"

Goku opened Hakkai's room door, looking critically at Gojyo as he did. He looked away long enough to reach under the desk for the bag of cat food, before returning his gaze to the newest guest.

Finally Gojyo met his gaze. "What?"

The boy's face flushed for a second. He shook his head. "N-nothing! Let's go see Sanzo!"

Gojyo raised an eyebrow. He decided not to ask, merely watching the brunette as he poured some food in the cat's dish and changed the water in the sink. Then he followed him to the door and into the hall once again.

Sanzo's room was across the hall from Hakkai's, and unlike his friend, he kept his door locked. Goku knocked on the door. "Sanzo! Hakkai told me to come see you!"

After a few seconds, the lock clicked and the door opened. Sanzo looked at the two with the same emotionless face Gojyo had seen on the blond at breakfast. It seems he had two moods: mild displeasure and pissy.

He frowned. "You've been around the cat."

"Oops. We went to feed Hakuryuu before we came here. Is it gonna make you sneeze?" Goku looked up at the blond with pleading eyes.

Sanzo sighed in resignation. "No. I suppose you want to come in?"

Goku nodded. Gojyo shrugged. "I'm just killing time."

"Don't you wanna get to know Gojyo?" the brunette asked Sanzo.

"Ch," he rolled his eyes, walking away from the door. It was the closest thing they'd get to an invitation inside. "I could care less."

Goku pulled Gojyo inside, closing the door behind them. "Hakkai told me to take him with me. I think Hakkai was afraid he'll get lost, seeing as he doesn't know his way around too well yet..."

Gojyo crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Talk about me like I'm not here why don't ya?"

Sanzo pulled out a cigarette from a pack on the nightstand and lit it. "And where is Hakkai?"

Goku looked uncomfortable at this question. "Well...um...Kannon asked to see him, and..."

He looked at the boy. "Kannon? What happened? Were you involved?"

The brunette shook his head.

"He was with me," Gojyo spoke up, "Hakkai, I mean. I went outside trying to find a way out, and he came with me. Somehow we walked in a straight line and wound up right back here."

"You can't get out," Sanzo spoke quietly around his cigarette, "Hakkai must have told you that."

"Yeah, but how the hell could that be? There's -gotta- be some way out."

"You're an idiot."

Gojyo clenched a fist. "Where the hell do you get off--"

Sanzo didn't let him finish. "Hakkai tried to warn you, I'm sure. Kannon must've found out you went outside. Now it's your fault Hakkai's in trouble."

"Trouble? For going outside?" Gojyo pulled himself off the wall. "How the hell else am I gonna find a way out?"

Sanzo, by this time, had moved closer to him. Now he grabbed the redhead by the collar, pulling him close to his face. "Don't."

Gojyo wrenched his shirt free, narrowing his eyes. "I don't think I asked for you advice, thanks."

"Gojyo..." Goku moved to stand between the two.

"If you feel the need to go snooping around, do us all a favour and leave Hakkai and Goku out of it. If anything happens to them because of you, I'll personally see to it that your life is a living hell."

"Forget this," Gojyo rolled his eyes. "I'm outta here." He left the room, slamming the door behind him. Who did this guy think he was? And what did he mean by trouble?

Gojyo stormed down the hall, muttering curses to himself. He heard footsteps running behind him. Goku ran down the hall to catch up with him. "Gojyo!"

"Forget it monkey," the redhead kept walking, "me and Blondie there aren't gonna play nice, so I'm making it my priority to avoid him."

"I'm sorry. Sanzo's really a good person once you get to know him, but he's really mean at times." Goku tried to keep up with Gojyo's quick pace.

"No shit..."

Goku, trying to focus on keeping up, tripped on the rug. Gojyo turned to see if the boy was all right.

"Yeah, I guess," he muttered, embarrassed that he'd been so clumsy. "But it wasn't the rug I tripped on."

Gojyo was at the boy's side. "Then what was it?"

Goku picked up the rug, moving to the spot where he had been. A cord ran underneath, so slight they wouldn't have noticed it, had Goku not tripped over it. The two followed the cord until it hit the wall, and seemed to go through it. Curious, Gojyo started feeling along the wall.

"What're you doing?" Goku asked.

"I think there might be a passageway here," the redhead replied, letting out a surprised noise when he found a crack in the wall.

"But Sanzo said--"

"Fuck Sanzo. There's something going on here and I wanna know what it is." He turned from the wall. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

He ran down the hall into his room. Goku waited as instructed, glancing down the hall from time to time, in case someone was coming. Finally Gojyo returned with a flashlight and a screwdriver. He fitted the tool into the crack, using it as he would a crowbar. After a few minutes of doing this, something clicked, and the wall opened like a stone door. Gojyo switched on the flashlight, grinning at him.

"Oh no," Goku shook his head, taking a cautious step backward. "I'm not going in there, no way."

"Che," Gojyo put one hand on his hip, grabbing the boy's wrist with the other. "It's just a passageway. It's not like it's gonna kill you."

He frowned. "But it's all dark and...spider-webby."

Gojyo raised an eyebrow. "Spider-webby? What are you, ten? It just hasn't been used in awhile. Now let's go."

The redhead pulled the monkey inside the tunnel. Goku stopped for a moment, fishing through his pocket. Gojyo watched as the boy pulled out a typewriter ribbon.

"And just what are you gonna do with that?"

"We can use it to mark our path," he explained, tying the loose end on the wall hanger. "That way we won't get lost, y'know, if there's turns and stuff."

Gojyo blinked, deciding not to ask why he would have a typewriter ribbon in his pocket. "Hmm. Might be onto something there, squirt."

They started down the corridor, Gojyo holding the flashlight forward, Goku unwinding the ribbon behind them. The walls, unlike the rest of the hotel, were made of stone, and gave off a creepy old cellar atmosphere. It was damp with moisture from some dripping water somewhere, which could be heard in the background.

Goku wrinkled his nose. "It smells funny."

"It's old and wet," Gojyo replied, "it's bound to smell a little musty."

Their footsteps echoed down the passage, almost making it seem like they weren't alone. Gojyo shook the thought from his head. No need to make Goku anymore paranoid than he already was.

The flashlight beam bounced off something ahead of them, reflecting the light back at the pair. Goku hid partially behind his taller friend.

"What's that?" he whispered.

Gojyo shrugged continuing on. Goku followed, albeit a few steps behind. After another minute or so of walking, the tunnel expanded somewhat, allowing the two to walk side by side. Once the corridor had grown, the walls began to show signs of human disturbance. The air wasn't as thick or wet as it had been, and they could see handprints marking the dust on the walls.

They turned the corner to the next part of the passage. Here, both walls were lined with mirrors, reaching from floor to ceiling. At the end of this hall, about ten yards away, was a tall thick-looking wooden door.

"What's with all the mirrors?" Goku asked as the two entered the hall.

"Dunno," Gojyo didn't really look at them. He was examining the door as they headed toward it.

Goku stopped suddenly, staring into one of the mirrors. "G-Gojyo..."

Noticing the boy's sudden halt and frightened voice, the redhead turned. Goku's eyes were wide, trained on the glass he faced.

"Goku?"

Goku didn't even seem to notice him anymore. He watched the mirror, as if something was happening inside it. Gojyo looked from the boy to the glass, seeing nothing but Goku's shocked reflection.

The brunette shook his head in disbelief, whimpering. He looked down at his hands, as if something covered them, Gold eyes moved to the floor in the mirror. He gasped.

"...Sanzo..." his voice cracked as he fell to his knees.

"Goku!" Gojyo grabbed the boy's shoulders, shaking him. He gasped again, finally tearing his eyes from the mirror to his friend.

"Gojyo? Wha..." Goku looked bewilderedly at him, blinking a few times.

"Goku, what the hell was that? Are you okay?" He let go of the brunette gingerly; afraid he might repeat the incident.

The boy held his head, breathing heavily. "I...I-I-I-"

"Whoa," Gojyo interrupted, helping him to his feet. "Chill, squirt. Let's just go back. You're not lookin' too hot."

Goku nodded, hands trembling slightly as he began to wind the ribbon back up. Gojyo shook his head in awe, following casually behind. Finally, curiosity got the better of him. He turned around, looking into one of the mirrors.

Suddenly he wasn't looking into the glass at all, but seeing himself, like an out-of-body experience. There was someone behind the self he was watching. The figure stepped out of the darkness into the flashlight's range. It was Hakkai. But he looked different. His hair was longer, falling around him and obscuring his right eye completely. The ear clips he always wore on his left side were gone, and he had a fierce, crazed glint in his visible eye.

"Huh? 'Kai?" Gojyo was speaking, through the self in the mirror did not.

Hakkai said nothing, but raised his arm. His hand ended in sharp looking claws. He slashed down, cutting through the mirror-Gojyo's back. The redhead's breath caught in his throat. He fell down, landing backward.

Hakkai smiled, running the bloodied hand across his mouth.

"Gojyo!" Goku leapt into his view, kneeling beside him.

Gojyo choked on the breath he'd been holding. He looked at Goku, whose gold eyes were shining with tears.

"What the holy fuck was that?" he said finally, shaking his head to clear it.

"We should go," Goku pulled Gojyo's arm urgently.

Gojyo stood up, careful not to look in any of the mirrors. But the eyes wouldn't leave. "Right..." still a bit dazed, he tried to hold the flashlight steady as he followed Goku, who rolled the ribbon as they walked.

The two all but ran back to the hall's entrance, neither looking back. The trip back was quiet; neither one wanted to talk about what they'd seen. They made it back to the hotel's main hallway, and Gojyo shut the wall. He and Goku turned to go back to their rooms.

Sanzo stood there, arms crossed.

Goku yelped. "Sanzo!"

Gojyo smiled, knowing they were caught. "Hiya Sanzo. Looking as pleasant as usual, aren't we?"

"I told you," the blond replied icily, "not to get Goku into trouble."

Gojyo narrowed his eyes. "What trouble? It's just a little secret passage. Jeez, what a tightass."

Sanzo stepped closer, and for a moment, the redhead thought he might try to grab his shirt again. But instead, he shook a cigarette out of his pack and put it to his lips.

"It's bad enough you're dragging Hakkai into your messes, but I refuse to let the same thing happen to Goku."

"My –messes-? I'm sure I've asked you this before, but what exactly do you have stuffed up your ass?"

Now he did grab his shirt, but only to pull him close enough to hiss at him. "Listen. Kannon doesn't like people snooping around. That includes secret passages and trying to run away. Got it?"

Gojyo pulled himself out of Sanzo's grasp. "Whatever. Check you later, Goku."

He left the boy and his keeper, walking down the stairs and muttering to himself. He wandered into the parlor, looking for something to do. Something moved in the corner of his vision. Focusing on it, he found Hakkai lying on the couch, awake but silent.

Gojyo started to walk toward him when the image in the mirror flashed through his head. A wave of fear shot through him, remembering those eyes. He shook it off. There was no way that the vision in the mirror had been real. That evil thing wasn't Hakkai, the quiet brunette on the couch was.

"Hakkai?"

Hakkai jumped, startled. He winced slightly, but it turned into a smile quickly, leaving Gojyo to doubt he'd seen it. "Gojyo?"

He grinned. Nothing to worry about. He sat on the coffee table across from his friend. "Man, where have you been all day?"

The green-eyed man looked worried for a brief moment, but the smile stayed put. "I...spent the day with Kannon-san."

Gojyo looked down, feeling guilty. "I didn't get you in trouble, did I?"

"N-no," he shook his head slowly, "Everything's alright."

"Really?" the redhead looked up, already feeling better. He stood, offering a hand to Hakkai. "C'mon, let's find something to do."

Hakkai let himself be pulled up, before letting out a sharp cry.

"'Kai?" Gojyo held his friend steady. "What's wrong?"

The brunette swayed dizzily. "Sorry..." he muttered, letting himself collapse in Gojyo's arms.

---

End of chappeh 3! Hope I got the whole spooky atmosphere pretty good. Whatcha think?

Zelgadis55: No problem. I know all about being behind. Glad you read it tho. ::grins::

Keruri1222: Memory problems are a daily thing, no worries. Yeah, Gojyo's pretty much the main character in this, narrative-wise. But Hakkai's a close second. I'm really amazed that this hightened your respect for him! ::smiles:: I'm trying my best to keep them in character while still keeping a more modern background. Sanzo seems to beh a lot more bitchy tho. Hakkai's my favourite too, being the most like myself, it's easier to write for him than anyone else. I'm so glad you're liking this, and I'll update as much as possible!

gabyou: It's a relief to meh, I'll tell you that much. ::winks::

NekoMegami-chan: Tah-dah! I just love psychological thrillers too, much more than the normal hack-and-slash. Strange thing is, I was reading one of my book after writing this chappeh and saw something very close to the mirror idea. ::grins sheepishly:: As to everything else I might use, you'll just hafta wait and find out! I'm coming up with more (hopefully) good ideas all the time!

Until next time guys!


	4. Wake you up in the middle of the night

Hotel California

Chapter Four: Wake you up in the middle of the night...

A/N: It's really so much fun to keep you all in suspense! ::waits to get killed:: It's a warning for many cliffhangers to come! Oh, and here's where the shounen-ai starts, if you're planning to avoid it. Nothing big, but don't say I didn't warn ya.

---

"Hakkai!"

Gojyo held the brunette up. Hakkai was unconscious, heavy against him. He picked him up worriedly, heading up the stairs painstakingly, trying not to jostle the limp form laying against him. Realizing he didn't have Hakkai's key, nor the ability to search for it while holding him, Gojyo unlocked his own door instead.

He set Hakkai down on the bed carefully before putting his hands on his hips. He didn't know what to do. Why would Hakkai just pass out? Was there something the brunette wasn't telling him?

The thought passed his mind that it might have something to do with Kannon. Hakkai had been fine until he had gone to see Kannon. A wave of anger passed through him at the thought of her doing something to him. This surprised him, the possessiveness he was feeling.

He shook all this from his head. The most important thing now was figuring out what was wrong with the brunette. He didn't know much about medical emergancies. What if Hakkai had some sort of brain trauma or something? You weren't supposed to move people like that, right? "Well fuck that, I already moved him!" he berated himself.

He put a hand to Hakkai's forehead, bringing it away alarmingly hot. Water. He went into the bathroom, running cool water over a washcloth and wringing it out. He put it carefully on his patient's forehead, returning to his mental list. Now what? He looked around the room, as if something would pop a thought into his mind. No such luck.

There was a scratching noise at his door. Curiously, he opened it a crack, only to have a little ball of white fluff squeeze its way inside. Hakuryuu immediately hopped on the bed, sitting next to his master and meowing.

Gojyo looked at the cat and shrugged. "I don't know what I'm doing, okay? You got any better ideas, let's hear 'em." If he was expecting an answer, he didn't get one. The cat simply jumped from the bed to the chair, where he turned around once and laid down, watching with the type of detatched interest only a cat can manage.

The redhead sighed and sat down on the empty side of the bed, watching Hakkai thoughtfully. Finally he reached over and removed his glasses, setting them on the nightstand. By now, Hakuryuu had joined his master for a nap, sleeping peacefully on the chair.

"Fine," he said to no one in particular, "I'll follow the crowd."

He stretched out on the other side of the bed, feeling mildly uncomfortable. But the stress of the day soon caught up with him, and he fell asleep as well.

---

Hakkai awoke with a particularly painful headache, the kind where you couldn't even open your eyes for a few moments. That could have been glossed over. What was more noticeable was the fact that he was laying on someone's shoulder, and that this someone's arm was draped over his waist. Now he did open his eyes. His entire vision was filled with red, and he gasped, jumping a little, before he realized it wasn't his eyes. It was red hair in his face.

Uh oh.

Hakkai sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. There was a washcloth on it, which he took off as he looked around. He was in Gojyo's room, with Gojyo sleeping right next to him. Hakuryuu was asleep as well, curled up snugly in the chair beside them. The question was, what had happened? He passed out in the parlor, he remembered that much. He decided he should leave, and pretend nothing had happened.

He began to sit up, when a flash of pain went through him. He let out a small cry of pain, wincing as he doubled over. This woke Gojyo, who shook his head before opening his eyes.

He mumbled something incoherantly, and then looked over. Noticing his arm around the brunette, he woke up immediately, retracting his arm. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't know I--" he stopped. "'Kai, you're hurt!"

Hakkai smiled weakly, dismissing the claim with a wave. "I'm fine. I've just got...a headache."

Gojyo didn't buy it. "In your stomach?"

"I've probably got a cold or something. I'm fine, really."

The redhead sat up. "Does this have something to do with that Kannon chick?"

Hakkai didn't answer, focusing instead on trying to stand without crying.

"Hakkai..."

Whatever Gojyo had meant to say was cut off as a knock sounded from the door. Without waiting for a response, the door opened, and Goku burst in. "Hey Gojyo! Do you know where Hakkai is?" He stopped short, seeing the brunette. "Oh. Well, I've got a message for both of you anyway. Kannon-san says there's gonna be a banquet tonight, so make sure you're ready for dinner in an hour."

Gojyo rubbed his eyes. "Fuck, I slept -that- long?"

Hakkai smiled at the boy, anxious to change the subject. "Thank you Goku. We'll be down in plenty of time," he stood up carefully, walking into the bathroom and leaving the washcloth on the side of the shower. "Is that all?"

The boy frowned. "Well, I wanted to play with Hakuryuu, but I think Sanzo'll yell at me..."

"Why do you care so much about what that jerk thinks?" Gojyo grumbled, standing as well and stretching.

"Gojyo, Sanzo takes care of Goku," Hakkai answered for him. "He watches out for him."

"I don't think Goku's the one who needs looking after," the redhead muttered under his breath. Hakkai caught the statement, but decided to ignore it.

"As long as you take a shower before dinner, I don't think there's any problem with Sanzo's allergies."

The reasoning seemed logical enough to the boy. He scooped up Hakuryuu, who had awoken upon Goku's energetic entry. His furred friend tucked safely in his arms, Goku happily left, leaving the door open. Hakkai went to it, closing it thoughtfully.

When he turned around, Gojyo was standing in front of him. He blinked in surprise. "Gojyo?"

Gojyo leaned in close, face to face with his friend. "What's going on?"

Hakkai didn't meet his gaze. "What do you mean?"

He leaned on the door, trapping Hakkai between his outstretched arms. "You know damn well what I'm talking about. You disappear for half a day, and then come back and pass out on me. Now you're hurt and you won't tell me why!"

Hakkai's voice was quiet and polite. "I wasn't aware that I was obligated to tell you anything."

Gojyo's eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to help here!"

The brunette sighed, finally relenting. "I know. And I know that you're getting nowhere, and it bothers you. But if you think we're good enough friends for me to tell you what's wrong, then we're good enough friends that you'll just have to trust me."

"Trust you?" he tilted his head. "I don't know what the hell's going on with this place, the people included!"

"Anything I've done, I've done for a good reason. I have no regrets."

"Dammit, where the hell did that come from?! Why's everyone so cryptic around here?!"

"I swear, I'd tell you if I thought it was safe to--"

Gojyo growled in frustration, removing his arms from the door and turning his back. "I'd ask you why, but you probably wouldn't answer that either."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll bet."

"Gojyo..."

He whirled around again, throwing up his hands. "What do you want me to say? 'Sure, don't worry, I might be trapped in a fucking HOTEL, but I won't ask any questions'? Screw that."

Neither of them spoke for a minute or two. Finally Hakkai opened the door. "I suppose I should go. Thank you for your help."

Gojyo didn't answer, crossing his arms. Seeing that he wouldn't get a response, Hakkai left, closing the door gently behind him.

---

About an hour later, Gojyo wandered down to the dining room for Kannon's banquet. When he got there, Sanzo and Hakkai were already seated. Kannon was standing next to the blond, chatting cooly as always, despite the fact that her target wasn't responding. For a moment, Gojyo considered sitting next to Sanzo, just so there would be less chance of speaking to Hakkai, but he disliked Sanzo more than he regretted his fight with the brunette. Besides that, poor Goku might throw a fit if he couldn't sit by his precious Sanzo. So in the end, he took his seat beside Hakkai, slumping into it without a word to anyone else.

He then noticed that there were six places at the table today. There was another place set beside him. He wondered briefly if another guest had shown up. Hopefully it was someone who would help him solve this mystery.

A few minutes later, Goku ran in, looking a bit worried. He sat next to Sanzo, shaking a hand through his still wet hair, attempting to air dry it faster. Once everyone was seated, Kannon clinked her spoon against her glass to get their attention.

"Thank you all for coming."

"Like we had a choice," Gojyo muttered under his breath. Hakkai's foot nudged him under the table.

"I know you're all interested as to the reason of tonight's celebration," she continued, "Well, in the past few days, we've been fortunate enough to recieve a new guest. And now tonight, we have another."

So it -was- a new guest. Maybe this would turn out to be a good night after all.

Kannon stood up, motioning to the doorway, where a man leaned casually on the frame. He had short dark brown hair and glasses, and wore a dress shirt, tie, and a long white lab coat.

"Everyone, this is Dr. Ni Jenyi. He's come here as a building inspector, so I hope you'll all show him the utmost hospitality."

Ni looked at the guests with a detatched sort of interest. Finally he left his place at the door and came to the table, sitting quietly beside Gojyo. Her introductions completed, Kannon sat down, and the meal commenced.

Throughout the evening, Gojyo watched Ni out of the corner of his eye. He didn't talk to anyone except Kannon, and that was only when she spoke to him first. The guy looked creepy enough, with a weird gleam in his eyes that made him look crazy. "Building inspector my ass...'

"So," Kannon looked in Gojyo's direction, "How are you finding things here?"

"Well," Gojyo frowned a bit, ignoring the warning look Hakkai gave him, "To be quite honest, I'm having trouble getting some questions answered."

"Really?" she leaned her chin on her hands. "And what might these questions be?"

"Like how I walked outside and couldn't leave this place."

She smiled. "Ah, I see. I believe I've already spoken to Hakkai about this."

Gojyo saw the brunette sink in his chiar slightly. He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I heard. That's another thing I wanted to ask about, was what you two talked about all day."

"Well, you know what they say Gojyo-san...Curiosity killed the cat."

There was a certain venom to the words underneath the cool tone. Gojyo had to stop and wonder if that was a theat to Hakuryuu. Or himself for that matter.

"The thing with asking questions that no one seems to get," she continued, not even really speaking to him anymore, so much as just ranting aloud, "is knwoing -when- the time is right to ask questions. Everything will be learned in good time, whenever the gods are ready to divulge the information you seek. Some people are just too impatient for their own good. Don't you think so, Dr. Ni?"

"I suppose so," he responded quietly. Even his voice was creepy. "Although I can't help but applaud an honest quest for knowledge."

She smiled again, wryly. "You never choose a side, do you?"

"Not unless I need to."

And so the conversation turned away from Gojyo's questions, leaving him again with no answers. Only more questions.

---

Gojyo had just changed for bed when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find Hakkai standing there, looking particularly akward. The redhead moved to the side, inviting him in. Gojyo closed the door and flopped down on his bed.

"Look, before you start bitching about what happened at dinner, I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted to get some answers. For some reason I figured the head of the conspirosy might give me some info."

"I understand you're upset. Believe me, I was too, when I found I couldn't leave. But you've got to understand that there's something going on here that's bigger than all of us. And if you don't play it safe, you won't be playing at all much longer."

"Is that what happened today? When you left?"

"I..."

He sighed. "Never mind. If you don't wanna talk about it, I won't force you. And I won't ask Kannon about anything anymore. But don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up. I can't do that."

"Are things that bad here?" Hakkai asked softly.

"Not so much for me. But I've been here two days now, and you've freaked out a couple of times and even fainted on me. This place is bad for you, even if it isn't for me. That's good enough reason."

"I...see."

Gojyo smiled sheepishly. "So, we're good then? No more fights?"

Hakkai laughed a little. "As if one could stay mad at someone like you."

"No one can resist my charms."

"Whatever you say..."

Goku burst through the door once more. Gojyo jumped up, catching the boy by the collar. "Dammit, don't you ever knock?!"

"Hey! It's not my fault Hakkai's always in here! I wanted to play cards!" He squirmed until Gojyo let him go.

"That sounds nice," Hakkai said, smiling. "What do you think Gojyo?"

"Yeah, sure whatever."

---

End of chappeh 4! There was a whole other scene I wanted in here, but I didn't have time before I posted things. So now it's shorter than I wanted. ::sighs:: Well, whatever. It'll beh in the next chappeh. Review and cure my depression for awhile, please?

Mato-ko: You can stop driving yourself insane now...tho is that really a bad thing? I'm insane and look what I get out of it! ::grins like an advertisement:: Anyway...I'M NOT TELLING ANYTHING!

Wasabii: Alright, I freaked someone out! With the help of random falling objects...::shrugs:: Yeah, it's 39, and there will most likely beh -some- kinda action between the two couples. Fluff most defiantely. Anything else...let's see how my pr0n muse works that...

Me-Nuriko: See above. We all assume it's Kannon that hurt Hakkai...Hmmm...

Nightfall Rising: h/c? Whazzat? Glad you're likin' it.

NekoMegami-chan: Don't worry...this thing's got a few more chappehs before I can even think of quitting. ::grins:: Plus I've still got the pond idea of yours to use!

Zelgadis55: Which do -you- think? Hope this is soon enough for ya! Oh, and I got that Frequency movie, but I haven't gotten to watch it yet. ::sweatdrops:: I'm always too tired after work. But I'll get to it!

Yay! Until next update, minna-san!


	5. They stab it with their steely knives

Hotel California

Chapter Five: They stab it with their steely knives…

A/N: ::bows:: I'm –so- sorry for all the delay in updating! I've had to rewrite this a total of three times now, and I'm still trying to find a job! Hope everyone enjoys it, even if it's shorter than usual. Bringing Ni into it seemed to make things creepier. Just wait until you see what I do with him!

---

"Remind me again why I keep doing this?" Gojyo threw down another losing hand of cards, leaning his head on his other hand. Across the table, Hakkai just smiled.

"Because you have nothing better to do with your time?"

"That must be it," the redhead muttered, looking over to the boy on his right, who was now sleeping, face planted on the table. "Although his option has some promise."

Hakkai looked at Goku as well. "It's getting late. We should put him in his room."

Gojyo nodded, though he didn't want to part company with the brunette just yet. "Sure. Then let's do something else. Are you hungry?"

Hakkai stood. "Didn't you eat much at dinner?"

Gojyo pushed his chair back, helping his friend pick up the sleeping Goku. "Nah, I couldn't. That new guy creeped me out."

"Ni?"

"Yeah, him. He's a regular freak show if I've seen one. I wonder what his deal is. You think he's really a building inspector?" Gojyo opened the door for him, closing it once they were in the hall.

"I'm…not sure," Hakkai muttered before deciding on a change of subject. "If you want, we can get something to eat. As long as we clean everything up, I don't think there'll be a problem."

"Great," Gojyo walked beside him down the hall. "To tell you the truth, Ni wasn't the only reason I didn't eat."

"Oh?"

He looked a bit embarrassed. "Yeah. I was kinda…worried. About the whole fight thing, y'know?"

Hakkai finally met his gaze. "I didn't mean to—"

Gojyo held up a hand. "Just forget about it. We both screwed up, okay? Let's just keep things on a good note."

The green-eyed man nodded. They stopped at Goku's door, and Hakkai opened it. Apparently Goku didn't lock his door, Gojyo noted. At the sound of the door creaking, the door next to it whirled open, and Sanzo came out of it.

"It's late."

Hakkai smiled disalarmingly. "My apologies. He insisted on playing cards until he fell asleep."

Sanzo looked like he was going to say something to Hakkai, but after a look at Gojyo, he decided against it. "Whatever. Just don't make it a habit, okay? It's hard enough to get him up in the morning."

With his final words spoken, the blond returned to his room, shutting the door quietly. Hakkai put Goku to bed before returning to Gojyo's side. Then the two continued down the hall to the stairway.

"Jeez, he's like the monkey's keeper or something," the redhead grumbled.

"Sanzo feels it's his duty to protect Goku. And Goku looks up to him. It just takes some time to get on Sanzo's good side is all."

"He has a good side?" he laughed.

Hakkai chuckled, admonishing him softly. "Gojyo…"

Suddenly a hand put itself on Gojyo's shoulder. "Awful late to be walking, isn't it?" a low voice asked, "and in pajamas, nonetheless."

Hakkai gasped in surprise and Gojyo jumped, moving the hand away and whirling to face the intruder. Ni stared back at them, his face clouded with his normal look of detached interest.

"Jesus, don't –do- that!" Gojyo hissed, holding a hand to his heart.

"We're just going to the kitchen for a snack," Hakkai answered, surprise turning into a calming smile.

"Ah, I see." Ni looked from Hakkai to Gojyo and then back again. "Well, no harm in that. Just be careful. You never know what could be lurking around at this time of night."

Hakkai nodded, and Ni turned to walk down the opposite way. Gojyo scowled as they watched him go.

"Fucking freak show scared me half to death. Talk about what's lurking around…-he's- the creep lurking around!"

"He did come out of nowhere," Hakkai mused quietly.

"Nowhere…?" Gojyo looked along the walls. They were right in front of the passage he and Goku had found earlier. Ni could've come out of there and snuck up on them without them seeing or hearing anything. But how did Ni know about the passage…?

"Shall we continue?" Hakkai asked, smiling once again. Gojyo nodded, following after him. He'd have to figure this out when he was by himself.

The kitchen was dark when they opened the door. Gojyo had never been in the kitchen at all, let alone at night. Hakkai must have, because he immediately went to the light switch and flicked it on, illuminating the room. The kitchen was vast, about double the size of a normal household kitchen. For the most part it was stainless steel, with tables and equipment lining the walls. Hakkai went straight to a cabinet and pulled out a silver pot, walking to the sink and filling it with water.

"How about some noodles? Those are easy and fast to cook," he looked at Gojyo for his approval.

Gojyo blinked. "Uh, sure, whatever. That sounds good. Need any help?"

Hakkai put the pot on the stove, turning on the burner. "Actually, yes. If you would get into the first freezer and get out an onion…"

The redhead nodded, moving to the freezers in the back. He found the onions, grabbed one out of the bag and returned to the main area. After some searching, he got a hold of a cutting board and knife, and began to cut the onion.

"You cook a lot?" he asked, chopping.

Hakkai shrugged. "I used to. Not so much anymore though." He pulled a bag of noodles from a cabinet in the back, setting it on the table next to the burner.

Gojyo nodded, concentrating on the knife and the onion. "My idea of meal preparation is deciding what kind of take-out to order."

The brunette laughed, looking at him. "I'm sure you're not –that- bad. You're cutting vegetables with o problem."

Gojyo stopped cutting long enough to meet Hakkai's stare. "That doesn't mean I—"

The hand holding the knife jerked suddenly, like someone was pulling on the handle. The blade sliced into his thumb, before he dropped the knife with a curse. Hakkai immediately rushed over. "What happened?"

"The damn knife jumped! Moved right outta my hand!" he hissed, clamping his other hand over the wound tightly.

Hakkai grabbed his hands, inspecting the cut. "Oh dear. Gojyo, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I swear it moved by itself!"

The brunette looked worriedly around the kitchen, and then wrapped some paper towels over his thumb. Then he put Gojyo's hand around the cut once more. "Hold it while I get the first aid kit."

Gojyo stood at the counter, squeezing his hand around the cut, while Hakkai ran over to the wall by the door, where the first aid kit was hanging on the wall. Bringing it back, he opened it. Then he took Gojyo's hand once more, pulling the taller man to the sink.

"We have to wash it first, okay?"

Gojyo, still a bit bewildered, nodded, and let Hakkai take care of it. After washing the cut, they moved back to the counter, where the brunette began to wrap the cut in gauze. Calming down a bit, Gojyo watched him curiously. Once he was completely sure it was taken care of, Hakkai looked at Gojyo's face.

"All done."

His face flushed slightly. "Uhm…thanks."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded. "Just a little shocked I guess," he looked over at the pot, the water now beginning to boil. "I don't think I'm really hungry anymore though."

Hakkai smiled, relieved, before leaving the redhead to sit at the counter while he cleaned up. It didn't take long, and once it was done, he turned to find Gojyo watching him intently. He blinked. "Gojyo?"

Gojyo shook his head, snapping out of a reverie. "Hmm? Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to keep staring at you like that."

"Quite alright," Hakkai nodded dismissing it. "We should go to bed though. It's very late."

"Yeah," Gojyo stood up, swaying a little. "Whoa. I think I stood up too fast. I'm feeling kind of dizzy."

Hakkai frowned. "You've probably lost some blood," he looked at the paper towels in the trash, tinged with red.

Gojyo shook his head. "'M fine, really. Just a little dizzy is all."

The brunette took his uninjured arm insistently. "Just to be sure, I should walk you back to your room. It's right next to mine anyway."

If Gojyo disagreed, he didn't say anything. They walked back upstairs and to his room. Hakkai watched to make sure Gojyo unlocked the door okay before nodding.

"Do you need me to stay with you?" he asked.

Gojyo didn't say anything.

Hakkai took this to mean no. "If you need anything, just call, alright?" He went to start walking, but Gojyo held him back.

"Hakkai…"

The green-eyed man looked at his friend curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"If I did something stupid," he continued, his tone as serious as Hakkai had ever heard from the normally good-natured redhead, "…would you forgive me?"

Hakkai tilted his head, confused. "Of course I would Gojyo. Why do you---?"

He was cut off as Gojyo pulled him close, catching his lips in a slow kiss. The redhead broke away easily, staring down at him.

"Gojyo…"

"You said you'd forgive me," he replied softly, "and I'd like it if you stayed."

Hakkai couldn't think of any way to respond, so he nodded. Inside, Gojyo flicked off the light and lay down on one side of the bed, leaving plenty of room for Hakkai to sleep without touching each other. Hakkai slipped in beside him quietly.

Within minutes, Gojyo was asleep, leaving Hakkai awake to think. He watched Gojyo critically, wondering just what was going on, twirling a strand of blood red hair absently. Finally he felt his own consciousness slipping.

"I don't think it was stupid."

---

That's it for chappeh 5! Again, sorry about it being so short, but it's all I have time for right now. Once I get a regular work schedule, I can get an update schedule going too!

Zelgadis55: Heh, don't worry, I do the same thing myself. Thankehs, it's good to know I can still do that, even in an AU.

SweetSnowCherryBlossomDarkness: ::grins:: That's quite a name you've got there! And I think Gojyo might beh considering the same thing, don't you?

C.T: I know. All the horror I consume is what led to this ficceh in the first place. Is it confusing in the story, or just in the foreshadowing?

Me-Nuriko: I know. I'm torturing him so, aren't I? At least he's getting a little action tho!

Aeris: ::whistles innocently:: Of -course- I know where I'm going with this!! ::eyes go wide:: Who told you?? A-hem. Thankehs for reviewing, and I swear I've got -some- idea where this is headed...

NekoMegami-chan: How could we forget the obligitory shower scene? Tsk tsk. Psycho-style maybeh?

Nightfall Rising: Ahh, I get it now. I really do like that type I guess. And as for Kanzeon, there -is- a method to hir madness around there somewhere...

sanzoeclipsekuramaarehot: I think you've been bitten by the bug m'dear. It should wear off in a few weeks and you'll beh typing normal again. ::smiles::

KawaiiLilMarron: Hey...Pai-chan? LURV YOUR 58! More to come of course! ::winks::

kurisutaru39: ::watches amused:: Glad I can perk up your mood! And do you really think anyone could talk Hakkai into playing strip poker? I'll put Gojyo on it right away! ::lech lech::

Well, until next time guys!


	6. How they dance in the courtyard

Hotel California

Chapter 6: How they dance in the courtyard…

A/N: I'm sooooo very terribly sorry for the long delay. This chappeh just would NOT stay in my hands long enough to get written! Every version I started disappeared… Sorry about the ones, but FF.N's not letting my scene break lines through anymore…

Hmm. Starting to sound like an older version of 'Thief of Always' isn't it? Imagine my surprise… I realized after this was posted that I forgot to place an item in the kitchen, but rather than take it down and repost, I'll just put it in at a more crucial place. Again, thankehs to NekoMegami-chan for her idea. You're such a big help! And to everyone else who is sticking with this!

It's exposition time kids!

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A person seems to sleep a lot later when there's someone sleeping next to them. Therefore, neither Hakkai nor Gojyo were surprised that they slept longer than usual. The fact that they stayed up most of the night, added to the comfort that comes from feeling someone sleeping beside you, kept them resting into the early afternoon.

What –did- come as a surprise, to one of them at least, was –how- they woke up. Much the same as the first time they'd fallen asleep together, the two had shifted in sleep, bringing them closer together. They awoke to find their arms wrapped comfortably around each other, as if they'd been doing this forever.

Hakkai woke up first, being a natural early-riser. Although he felt slightly awkward about the whole situation, he also felt quite comfortable, and decided not to get up quite yet. And though Gojyo awoke some time after that, he stayed put as well, not wanting to wake up Hakkai, whom he thought still asleep.

This went on until eventually, neither of them could stay immobile any longer. One did not admit to the other that they even noticed anything had happened.

The two had just gotten up and moving when Goku burst into the room, once again forgetting to knock. Sanzo followed a bit behind, looking mildly annoyed per usual.

"There you guys are! I thought you'd be up and running around somewhere by now!" Goku leapt onto the bed. "I was lookin' all over the halls for you!"

Hakkai busied himself cleaning up the cards from last night's game. Gojyo stretched, looking over at Goku.

"Hey monkey, you wanna run around for a bit?"

Goku glared a bit. "'M not a monkey."

He shrugged. "Yeah whatever. Let's go down to the kitchen for a minute, and get some late breakfast."

The boy immediately beamed at the prospect of food. "Okay!"

Goku ran outside, Gojyo following at a more leisurely pace. "I'll bring you back something."

Sanzo watched Hakkai for a moment. Finally the brunette turned to face him. "Yes?"

He didn't say anything for a few more moments, composing his words. If there was anything Sanzo was good at, it was tactful language…when he wanted to. He decided to use the direct approach, since he knew Hakkai would know exactly what he meant.

"Just like Kenren."

Hakkai blinked. "Oh." He didn't ask what he had meant. Sanzo wouldn't tell him if he'd asked, and it didn't matter anyway. "Sanzo, I—"

He cut him off. "I don't really care how you go about your personal life. It's none of my business," he crossed his arms, heading to the door. "Just don't let him get you in any more trouble than he already has. It's hard enough watching the monkey without you starting to act stupid as well. We don't need a repeat of –that- incident."

Hakkai smiled weakly. "Right…"

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Gojyo and Goku walked up the stairs, returning from their kitchen trip. Goku munched happily on an apple, while Gojyo balanced his and Hakkai's plates.

"That's neat," the brunette said around a mouthful of apple, nodding his head at the plates.

Gojyo grinned. "I used to be a waiter." He stopped short, seeing an ominous figure retreating down the hallway.

"Gojyo?" Goku tilted his head, curious by the redhead's actions.

"Let's go check out that passage again," he whispered.

Goku paled. "I don't think that's a good idea…I don't really wanna go through those mirrors again."

He shook his head. "Not the inside. Just the doorway. I saw Ni pop out of nowhere last night, and I think he might know about the passage."

"But…he just got here. How could he?"

"I dunno, but I wanna check it out."

They stopped at the wall where they had found the passage. Setting the plates down carefully, Gojyo stared at the wall, looking for any indications that would give it away.

"That's funny…I don't see anything…"

"And what, may I ask, are you looking for?" Ni questioned eerily, standing behind them once more. The two of them jumped.

"Ni! Oh! Um…looking for? My um…" Gojyo looked around, thinking quickly, "My contact lens! …I lost it over here and I can't find it. You find anything yet Goku?"

Goku's eyes widened, catching on. "Nope, nothing yet."

Ni looked from one to the other, a habit Gojyo was beginning to hate. "I wasn't aware you even wore contacts."

"Well, I do. Maybe I just left it in my room. C'mon Goku, let's go look there!" He picked up the plates and began down the hall once more. Goku jumped up from where he had been sitting and followed.

"Just one more thing," Ni called after them.

Wincing a bit, Gojyo turned back to face him. "And what might that be?"

He smiled. "Just a bit of advice. You should keep track of things that are important. Small things are –very- hard to find."

The two watched him for a minute, and then turned back around. "Yeah, okay."

Ni watched them go. "Contacts?"

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After dropping off breakfast, Goku had gone to play with Hakuryuu, leaving Hakkai and Gojyo alone for the afternoon.

"Hey Hakkai," Gojyo stared out the window.

"Hmm?"

"Are we allowed to go outside at all?"

The question caught Hakkai off guard. He blinked a few times, and then responded. "I suppose so, although there's really not much to see. Basically, anywhere on the hotel's property is okay."

He turned to face his friend. "What's there to see?"

"Well, there's a courtyard, but…"

"But?"

"I don't know how well it's been kept. I haven't been there for some time."

Gojyo looked disappointed. "Oh."

Hakkai smiled at him. "Why are you so interested?"

The redhead shrugged. "I dunno. It's just getting to be autumn, and the leaves changing are always really nice. I figured we could go out somewhere and watch em."

"Well, I'm sure the grounds are alright. It is part of the hotel after all. We can spend the day outside."

So the two went out later that afternoon. The courtyard was located on the north side of the hotel, straight down the hall from the first floor rooms. Hakkai figured that it would still be okay to sit out there, since it hadn't been –that- long since he'd been there.

Apparently he had been wrong.

The courtyard looked neglected at best. There were four paths, leading from different parts of the grounds, all of them coming to a stop in an intersection. At the center of this was a cement fountain, surrounded by four matching benches. On either side of each bench were rosebushes.

Normally, this would have been a beautiful sight. But in this case, it was altogether more frightening. The bushes were all dead and crumpled brown. The benches were covered in what looked like decades of moss and grime, as was fountain. The inside was filled with what might have been water at one time, now turned a sickly green-brown. There was a film of dead leaves and moss on the top, almost completely hiding the water beneath it.

"Jeez…I don't think anyone's been here in forever!" Gojyo looked around.

Hakkai let out a sigh. "No, I don't suppose so. It's a shame too. It used to be quite lovely."

The pair walked around a bit, looking everything over with a morbid sense of curiosity. They were at the fountain, looking into the murky water, when Hakkai looked up suddenly.

Gojyo looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw something move out there."

He shrugged. "Probably just some dead leaves blowing or something."

A sudden rustle made them both turn sharply. Hakkai lost his balance and grabbed panicked at Gojyo's sleeve. He missed it by an inch and fell headfirst into the fountain. He came to the surface sputtering and coughing.

"Hakkai! You okay?" Gojyo leaned over the edge, offering a hand to his friend. The brunette took his hand, and felt himself pulled out of the water. "You're gonna die out here wet in the cold. Let's get you inside and in the shower."

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around the now shivering Hakkai, dragging him inside, completely forgetting the noise that had caused all this.

Once everything was silent once more, a figure stepped out of the shadows of the garden. It moved to the fountain, where now something in the water sparkled in the sunlight. It was picked up out of the murk and taken by the figure, which calmly walked inside as well.

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Gojyo waited in his own room while Hakkai was in the shower, figuring the brunette needed a bit of time to himself. After the whole fountain incident, he'd seem kind of dazed. Gojyo didn't really know what to make of this, so he decided to give his friend a bit of space. This of course, left him with nothing to do.

He vaguely considered checking out the passageway again, but shook this thought from his head after remembering the encounter with Ni this morning. He'd have to wait until everyone was asleep before trying that out. He didn't want anyone but Goku and himself to know of their awareness of the passage, until he was sure it was safe to divulge such information.

He found himself pacing, not aware he was even doing so. Blinking in confusion, he flopped onto his bed, resulting in a loud shrill sound of a cat being squashed. Gojyo jumped up in surprise, tossing aside the blanket and revealing a rather discontent Hakuryuu. He picked the cat up, and made his way down the hall, muttering to the animal about how he got in his room, and why he was in there at all.

Hakkai's door was unlocked, as always, so Gojyo knocked once and went in. The room, which was always so clean, was now a mess, with papers and clothing thrown around randomly. Gojyo wondered for a moment if Hakkai had been robbed, when the brunette rushed out from the bathroom, fully clothed and tearing around the room frantically.

Gojyo set Hakuryuu on the bed. "Looking for something?"

Hakkai whirled around, not even aware Gojyo had entered the room. "Oh! It's…nothing. I just lost something, that's all…"

The redhead plopped down in one of the chairs. "Must be a pretty important nothing to make you mess up your room…" he muttered offhand.

He ran a hand through his partially wet hair. "Gojyo, what time is it?"

Checking his watch absently, Gojyo looked at his friend. "Almost seven. Why?"

"An hour…" Hakkai muttered to himself, before speaking again to Gojyo. "Do you think we can talk about last night?"

Gojyo winced internally. He had hoped they wouldn't have to talk about that at all, let alone before Gojyo could think of a good cover story if things went wrong. But Hakkai had said he was forgiven, and he guessed it was better to get it all out in the open soon. "Um…if you want to, sure."

Hakkai looked worried. "I'm afraid I'll have to be quite blunt, since there's something I must do as soon as possible. I can't explain my reasoning in this, but please, whatever you thought might have been going on between us, I can't have you—or anyone for that matter—getting that close."

Gojyo didn't reply, so he went on.

"It's a personal thing, and my own fault. But I would like to keep things as they were, and not what they might be. I apologize for this, but I have to go. You can stay here if you like, and you're welcome as always anytime."

He dashed out of the room before Gojyo could think, let alone speak. The redhead sat there for some time, going over what had just happened. Flat out, things weren't going to work that way with Hakkai, so he said.

But Gojyo had been around people long enough to know that what they said wasn't always what they felt. However, he also knew that there was no convincing a person of anything by being in their face about it. There was no hurry; as Hakkai'd said, they were there for a while. Gojyo could wait.

He got up with a sigh, petting Hakuryuu on the head before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

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Dinner was uneventful, save for Hakkai's absence. Everyone talked, Sanzo and Goku argued, and Gojyo ignored them, wondering if it was the big turndown that had gotten Hakkai so worked up. Kannon noticed both the brunette's absence and Gojyo's depression, commenting lightly as always.

"I wonder where our Hakkai's wandered off to now…"

Gojyo didn't feel like her game of careful stepping at the time, so he merely shrugged.

Kannon either didn't sense his reluctance, or decided to ignore it. Most likely the latter. "Really? That's odd, you two have been together a lot since you've come here."

"Not all the time though," he muttered, attempting to get her off the subject. "We're not married, you know."

She laughed. "No, I suppose not."

"It's hard to know everything about a person you've only just met," Ni spoke up, once again confusing them with his random riddles.

Sanzo looked from each of them to Gojyo, but didn't say anything.

Goku looked up from his meal. "Is he sick or somethin'?"

Gojyo's eyes narrowed, keeping his gaze on his plate. Not that he cared to eat it, but it was something to focus on. "I don't think so Goku."

Kannon smiled again. "I'm sure you're right. He might have just fallen asleep. After all, he did have a long night last night."

Gojyo glared at her, fingers gripping the edge of the table. "And what do you mean by that?"

Amused by his anger, she looked at him innocently. "I merely heard you two in the kitchen late last night. What did you think I was inferring?"

He winced internally, cursing himself for showing a sort of weakness for her to play with. "Nothing."

"I believe," Sanzo finally spoke up, voice even and quiet, "that Hakkai mentioned something to me about losing something in the courtyard earlier today. My guess is that he's trying to find it before it gets too dark."

Without having something to pick on Gojyo about, Kannon and Ni returned to conversing with each other. For once, Gojyo felt some gratitude towards the blond. Now he wondered what Hakkai could have lost. He didn't doubt Sanzo; the mess in Hakkai's room was proof enough of his story.

He stood up from his chair. "I'm going to help him find whatever it is," he muttered before making a hasty exit. He noticed violet eyes watching him as he left, but he didn't care enough to stop.

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He ran out the hall door, into the courtyard. Briefly, he wished he'd stopped in his room first to get his jacket. It was already quite cool out, and the evening winds were beginning to blow wildly. He wrapped his arms around himself and walked to the center of the yard. By now, it was dark, and there was no sign of Hakkai. Gojyo looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friend. The wind was blowing his hair frantically, momentarily blinding him with red.

Then something hit him, hard. He fell over one of the ceramic benches backwards. Before he could get back up, the same something landed on top of him, knocking the breath out of his chest. He looked up, eyes wide at the thing that had him pinned. Between the dark of night and the rapid strokes of crimson distorting his vision, he could only see one thing of his attacker.

Bright green eyes.

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Another cliffhanger for you all! I can't apologize enough for how long this took, and for all it was, I liked the first version better. But I guess this one's good too. You can never quite replace the first writing, can you? Well, anyways, I'm hoping since I broke the curse, it'll beh easier to update now. And who do we think our mystery attacker is, folks? You'll just hafta find out next time:ducks as things are thrown: Yee-hah. Now onto the review replies!

Ezorarion Nailo: I knew that was you! Sorry for making you wait so long...

obsydia: a 58 is basically a shounen-ai.yaoi whatever ficceh aout Gojyo and Hakkai. A 39 would beh Sanzo and Goku. It's about the Japanese numbers in their name. Don't worry, it tookmeh forever to figure it out. :grins: Glad to have you reading!

Me-Nuriko: Nah, he's acting strange. Heh. Tho for what reason? You'll hafta find out!

Celeste 1: Thankehs!

Zelgadis55: Not as late as I'm updating, tho! Ni is a creepy guy, huh? That's why he's so fun to use in a creepy story!

elven dreamer: Glad you liked!

gabyou: Ain't it great? Fun at parties, to beh sure...

fye chan: Wow, I didn't think it was that scary... :grins: Glad to know you're enjoying it!

KawaiiLilMarron: Why thankeh you for the death threat. :winks:

SweetSnowCherryBlossomDarkness: The best time to read anything is late at night or early morning. Glad you liked it!

kanzeyori: Yay, ficceh gets love!

Keruri1222: I think the same way Keru-san. But what about Hakkai? He needs some poking I think. Always happy to have you read, and can't wait for another update from you!

Until next time!


	7. Haven't had that spirit here

Hotel California

Chapter Seven: Haven't had that spirit here…

Notes: Since I'm both determined not to let this one fall into hiatus again and charged from finally watching Requiem, this update is sooner than it should beh. Especially since I can't really update 'Protection' until I play LoD again. :winces: I make pancakes out of hot dog buns. Discuss.

I'm taking a liberty or two with certain youkai forms. I've never seen Reload, and I don't know if they ever show it, so I'm going by what I've seen… if I'm wrong, just mention it, okay? And, this chappeh has a high shounen-ai content rating. Random molestations and all. What's weird is I had this planned way before I heard anything about the movie. But as they say on Requiem's commentary…"Two words: shower scene."

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Gojyo kicked, catching his mystery assailant in the chest and pushing him off. The attacker flew a bit before catching his balance, coming at the redhead again. Gojyo, meanwhile, had stepped up on the bench he was being pressed against, and once the attacker was close enough to reach him, he jumped, sailing over him and making a dash for the door.

His attacker wasn't so easily foiled, however. He threw a rock, aiming it at Gojyo's leg. It connected brutally, sending him falling to the ground. Gojyo cursed sharply, rolling over and trying to get up. The assailant was on him again, grabbing him by the wrist.

Something hit the ground beside them, like a gunshot. Both of them froze, looking up to the place where it had come from. Sanzo stood there, face as passive as ever, aiming a revolver at the mystery person.

"That was a warning shot," he muttered.

The attacker watched Sanzo carefully for a few seconds, calculating his next move. Gojyo knew that Sanzo wasn't bluffing; he'd shot once, he'd do it again. The assailant seemed to know this too, because his next move was to jump back, stand up and start running into the dead shrubbery.

Gojyo sat up, bewildered. The way that thing moved was almost…inhuman.

"C'mon," Sanzo spoke up. He walked inside without waiting for Gojyo to follow. The redhead stood and went after him.

Goku was already in Sanzo's room when the two entered. The boy looked over his friend with shock. "What the hell happened to you?"

"You know what happened," Sanzo cut in before Gojyo could reply. He tossed the gun on the dresser. "I told you something like this could happen."

Goku looked worried. "But Sanzo—"

"It doesn't matter. We don't have the capability to handle this right now. Our best bet is to wait it out until morning."

"Why morning?" Gojyo leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

Sanzo glared at him, violet eyes narrowed. "Because this monster you helped create only comes out at night."

He raised an eyebrow. "I helped create? What the hell does that mean? Or is it another one of your special cryptic secrets?"

"Idiot."

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Gojyo turned his back on them, waving a hand. "I've got better things to do than hang out here, although I'm sure I'll miss your charming company.

Goku hopped off the bed. "But Gojyo, we're supposed to stay together in case—"

"See you later, Goku." With that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

Muttering obscene comments under his breath, Gojyo shuffled down the hall into this own room, the pain in his ankle causing him to limp slightly. The door was slightly ajar, registering alarm with the redhead. He poked his head in, ready to run back to the pissy monk should he see the figure inside. He found nothing, however. Confident that he was alone, he walked inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

Hakuryuu mewled his annoyance from his usual place in the chair, unhappy to be woken by the noise. That explained why the door was open. Gojyo exhaled a sigh of breath, throwing himself down on the bed.

"Stupid Sanzo, always gotta start some kind of fight with me. What's his deal anyway?"

Hakuryuu mewed again, and Gojyo glared at the cat, as if dissatisfied with the cat's reply. Feeling slightly restless after a forced adrenaline rush, he sat up, rolling his eyes. Now he needed something to do. Hakkai was MIA, and Goku was holed up with Sanzo, leaving him with only a few options. Either sit here and endure a cranky cat's company, go downstairs and find something to do, or just go to sleep.

It was too early to sleep, and the thought of running into Ni downstairs in the dark disturbed him. He sighed again, standing up. "I don't suppose you're any good at Poker?"

Hakuryuu stared at him for a moment, and then yawned.

Gojyo decided to take his chances in the hall.

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Wandering aimlessly, Gojyo soon found himself in front of the secret passage once again. He looked down the hall either way, and found no one. He exhaled a breath, composing himself, before he pushed the switch and quickly stepped inside.

It was pitch black inside the passage, and Gojyo immediately regretted not bringing a flashlight. Rummaging through his pockets, he came up with a cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, taking in his surroundings once more. Dark, damp and ominous, just like he remembered it. He began the walk through the passage to the hall of mirrors.

He hoped to make it past the door this time. The decision to undertake the journey once more was spontaneous, but now that he was here, he needed some sort of plan. He and Goku had gone in once without one, and had dealt with some scary images as a result. This time he needed some kind of plan. He supposed he could feel his way blind through the mirror hall with his eyes closed. But he didn't know what to do at the door, since he didn't know what lie beyond it.

The trek through the damp hall was easy enough. There wasn't much to that, once you got past the damp walls and musky smell. Living in dark cities had pretty much accustomed him to that.

The mirror corridor was another story altogether. He stopped before he passed the first mirror, worried that as soon as he passed it, the images would appear once again. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut tight. Then he began moving forward, arms outstretched, feeling his way past the mirrors and hopefully toward the door on the other side.

His hand hit something finally that didn't feel like cool glass. It was a door, heavy and old iron. He chanced one eye open a slit, confirming his hope. Now past the mirrors, he opened his eyes and leaned against the door. It didn't budge. He didn't want to break it down, in case someone was still using it. But he felt he -needed- to know what was beyond it. He readied himself to ram it, shoulder first. Just as he was about to collide with it, he skidded to a halt.

A voice. He could hear someone speaking on the other side of the door. Gojyo leaned his ear against the door, trying to make out more of it. There was a hint of familiarity in the tone, but he couldn't place it. It was a male voice, and sounded very angry.

"I know you have it. Who else would even know?"

A second voice spoke up. This one he definitely knew. There was no mistaking the shudder-inducing tone of their new building inspector, Ni. Calm as always, almost to a point of anger to the listener, he responded to this new person. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He growled impatiently. "I don't have time to play your games, Ni. I'm losing control without it. This whole thing is your fault, so the least you can do is try to help a little!"

Ni sounded bored. "I suppose I can make you a new one. But that will take some time, you realize."

A thud, like a fist hitting a desk. "I don't have time! What happened to the old one anyway? I'm sure you know something about that!"

"It's not my fault you and your little boyfriend wanted to go play in the fountain." Cold and condescending.

Fountain? Suddenly it clicked. The voice was so familiar because it was Hakkai's! It was the tone that was different; Hakkai had never sounded so angry since they'd met.

"You leave him out of it! I warned you about that, and I -will- keep my promise if I need to."

"Please, be civil. I don't respond well toward threats, mind you. Now, your current problem has three solutions."

"And those would be?"

"One, you wait until I make you a new one…"

"And hole myself in here until then? Sorry, that hasn't worked so far."

"Two, you manage to find your old one…"

Hakkai let out a low growl that betrayed his anger, but didn't respond.

"And three, you just forget the whole thing and go on like this."

"I can't do that! I've already lost control once, and it's only the first night! Do you really want to repeat the incident with Goku?"

The laugh that Ni responded with told both Hakkai and the eavesdropping Gojyo that he didn't mind in the slightest.

There was a long pause in conversation, so much that Gojyo almost thought they were finished. Then finally Hakkai spoke again, sighing in resignation. "You get started on making a new one. I'll keep looking for the old one."

Gojyo heard footsteps walking toward the door. Quickly he pressed himself against the wall beside the door. It opened seconds after, shielding him from view as Hakkai stormed out. Hidden behind the door, Gojyo couldn't see him. He heard the brunette walk effortlessly past the mirrors, muttering to himself. He struggled to hear, but only caught one sentence.

"I just hope Gojyo isn't in the courtyard this time…"

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Gojyo made it a point to lock his door behind him upon returning to his room later that night. He felt jumpy and bewildered, moving quickly from hall to hall like a child playing spies. His mind whirled with all that had happened. Hakkai's angry voice, the conversation with Ni, something about an incident with Goku…none of it made any sense.

Hakuryuu regarded him curiously, mewing once. The redhead shook his head. "No, I don't think you wanna room with Hakkai tonight. Maybe you'd better stay with me."

The white ball of fur yawned again, laying his head back down. That cat was creepy sometimes.

He leaned against the door, running a hand through his hair. Once Hakkai had left, Gojyo had waited. He wanted to make sure Hakkai was out of the passage before he chanced the trip through the dark halls. This obviously had something to do with him now, so he had to be careful. Finally he decided he had given the brunette enough time and went to leave, scooting along the wall of mirrors. While Hakkai leaving the door open had hidden him before, afterward it had left him an easy target for Ni to spot. Fortunately the eerie brunette was absorbed in some kind of paperwork, and didn't look up. Once he reached the damp part of the corridor, he broke out into a run and didn't stop until he reached the safety of his own room.

He knew sleep was totally out of the question. Gojyo was the type of person who couldn't sleep when there was a lot on his mind. And he didn't think there had ever been more to think about at one time. He decided to take a shower, to try and calm himself down. Maybe then he could get some sleep. But the shower proved to only make him muse more.

Something was wrong with Hakkai. It had to do with him losing something while they were in the courtyard this afternoon. Now he was avoiding him entirely and yelling at Ni. Either Sanzo and Goku knew what was going on, or they had at least dealt with something similar. And what had attacked him in the courtyard? Hakkai had said something about him being there… But it couldn't have been Hakkai, could it?

This wasn't getting him anywhere. He tried to focus on the water instead. He closed his eyes, letting the spray hit his face. Sanzo had said they would concentrate on the problem tomorrow. He could get some answers then, but it wouldn't do any of them any good if he was a sleepless wreck.

He turned off the water and grabbed his towel. He dried himself off and changed into the pair of loose pajama pants he found in his closet. Then he flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Suddenly the playing cards, left out from the last game, started flying into the air wildly. Gojyo sat straight up, watching them. He turned to the window to find it open. The wind had picked up, blowing the cards around. Rolling his eyes, Gojyo got up and shut the window. He moved to the floor and began to pick up the cards.

The sound of water froze him instantly. The shower was on. Swearing to himself that he was sure he turned it off, he abandoned the cards momentarily to shut it off. As soon as his hand touched the faucet, someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around.

"Hakkai!"

Gojyo stood facing the brunette. He hadn't seen him in the passageway, but here he could see not only his tone had changed. His hair was much longer now, past his shoulders. And the hands that were now on both his shoulders were covered by what looked like vine tattoos.

Like the version of Hakkai he'd seen in the secret passage's mirror…

"What the--?"

Hakkai pushed Gojyo back, pinning him against the inner wall of the shower. It was still on, soaking them both. Gojyo watched him with shock, stunned into immobility. Hakkai stared at him for a few moments, regarding him intently. Then he leaned forward, capturing the redhead's lips forcefully.

Confused, Gojyo struggled for a minute, before responding. The arms that gripped his shoulders now wrapped around his neck, closing the distance between them. Gojyo moved a hand to the base of Hakkai's neck, moving through the now wet strands of hair. Hakkai leaned into the touch, pressing himself more against his taller friend. Gojyo bit back a moan.

Something collided bodily against the room door, interrupting the two. Gojyo stared at Hakkai, waiting to see what he'd do next. Hakkai looked from Gojyo to the door, as if weighing his options. Finally he let the redhead go.

"Hakkai…"

He shook his head. "I'm not in control. You'd better see what that was."

Gojyo sighed, moving past him to the door. He opened it a crack, peering out. Goku sat on the floor, looking distracted.

"Goku?"

He looked up, eyes brightening in relief. "Gojyo! Why'd you lock your door?"

"Because there's weirdoes like you running around. What's wrong?"

He stood up. "I wanted to check on you. Why're you all wet?"

Gojyo's face flushed slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Problem with the shower. It's nothing big. You'd better get back to Sanzo before he throws a fit."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I was just about to go to sleep."

"Alright…but I've gotta talk to you tomorrow. It's important."

"Okay. Are you okay walking back by yourself?"

He grinned. "I can take care of myself. It's you I was worried about."

"Hey…"

Goku laughed, before taking off in a run down the hall. Gojyo shut the door, turning back into the room. There was no sign of Hakkai. The redhead sighed, leaning against the door again. The window was open once more, blowing things around in the room.

"Dammit, 'Kai…"

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Gojyo hadn't had a nightmare in quite some time. Sometimes his dreams were surreal, maybe even a bit upsetting, but they never really scared him.

This one did.

It was the mirror again. He was walking through the passage alone, with no light. In each of the mirrors was the same image. The new version of Hakkai. He walked past them toward the door. This time when he pushed on it, it opened with ease. The room was empty, save for a larger mirror in the doorway.

Instead of his own reflection, Hakkai was there again. Gojyo stared at it for a moment. The surface of the mirror began to move, like a wave in a pond. Hakkai stepped out of the mirror, long hair and vines. Gojyo backed up, but the door had shut behind him. He hit the cold iron as Hakkai stepped closer with agonizing slowness.

He held up an arm. The vines wound down his arm, ending at his fingertips, which were clawed. He slashed down, catching Gojyo's chest. Gojyo fell to the floor, wincing in pain.

Hakkai stared at him coolly. "I'm not in control."

"Hakkai, don't…"

He smiled almost serenely. "I said I'd forgive you. Will you forgive me?" he slashed down again.

Gojyo awoke with a jolt, sitting straight up. He put a hand over his eyes, slumping his shoulders.

"What the hell's going on here?"

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well, that's it for chappeh 7! Unfortunately I've toned this one down a bit from the original content. Tho it'll get heavy before the end, for everyone waiting for that. :winks: I think things are starting to wind to a point here. I'm guessing we're about the halfway point now. So what's next? You'll hafta wait and see! But first, the review response!

The Jolly Leprechaun: Thankehs. I like the name!

C. T Saiyukilly Twisted: Zakuro? Is he from Reload? I have no idea who that is, but I've only seen up to Requiem...

Attiquah Gensui: Glad you're liking everything! I added you now, okay?

Keruri1222: Gotta keep everyone guessing, ne? Heh...And as you might gather from this chappeh, it seems the opposite of ignoring is going around...

zan: Na, I wasn't giving up...Chappeh 6 was just cursed. But i've broken it, and back on track! Thankehs for not giving up either! Don't worry, I'm the same way...

Cerridwene: Well, you were probably right. Everyone else seemed to get it right away. Another transparancy on my part I guess. Were you right?

SweetSnowCherryBlossomDarkness: lol...I love reviews at 2am... They;re always so funny.

altered carbon: I'll betcha you've got it. But I don't wanna give it away either... it'll beh clear soon enough tho. :winks:

saiyukisexy: Shh...don't spoil it. You win this round, but we'll see who wins next::dashes off evil villain style:

Zelgadis55: I know...I think Gojyo's gonna have a complex or something after this.

Until next time!


	8. Some dance to remember

Hotel California

Chapter Eight: Some dance to remember…

Okay, special note time. For those of you that don't know, I've been trapped in my house all summer. The onl;y compeh I got to at this time had no A drive, so there was no updates. I'm super sorry for this, but now I'm working to get back on track. I'm working on One Up as we speak, so look for that soon too.

Notes: Wow. It seems everyone's pushing for some 39. I was gonna have that in here since the beginning, but it just never worked in. So I suppose I'd better work on it, before everyone starts picking up those torches again…

You can totally blame any surrealness in this chappeh on my brother Kit, who lent meh his Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft crossover book. It's slowly warping my mind. :grins: Whee dog kids, we're having some fun now. Enjoy.

Although dear lord, it's hard to type with two people breathing down your back…

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Despite his unsettling dream, somehow Gojyo managed to sleep. Or at least that's what he assumed, since he woke up early that morning. Very early, judging by the pervading darkness, showing only a few rays of sunlight. His system told him there was no more sleep to be gained presently, so he got up, stretching tiredly.

Hoping to possibly get some answers to last night's incidents, the redhead left his room, padding quietly down the hall to Goku's room. He knocked a few times on the boy's door, before realizing that he was probably still staying with Sanzo. While this left room for a few suggestive comments, he didn't feel like dealing with the blond at the moment, so he'd have to wait for them to separate. Goku had said something about wanting to talk to him…

"You're up awful early," a cheerful voice commented lightly from behind him.

Gojyo turned around sharply, finding himself face to face with Hakkai. He was back to normal now, with short hair and no vines. His shock came unchecked, and Hakkai noticed it.

"Don't worry, I'm not…like that right now," he looked a bit saddened, though you could only tell from his eyes; his mouth remained plastered with a smile. "I was wondering if…if I might talk to you?"

"That depends," Gojyo replied carefully, "on what about."

Hakkai looked down. "As if you really had to ask…"

Gojyo winced. "I guess it's just a little awkward."

This elicited a small laugh from the brunette. "I suppose so. But I'm sure you're confused, and I know how you hate not knowing anything about this situation…"

Gojyo leaned against the wall. "So what exactly is going on here?"

Hakkai frowned in thought, attempting to put it into words. "Well, I can't say exactly, because I'm not totally sure myself. However, I do know that this is a result of—"

"Early risers, aren't we?" Ni leaned in between them, smiling in his cold way. Once again, Gojyo was forced to wonder just how he managed to sneak up on them like that.

"Why is it such a surprise that I'm up early?" Gojyo crossed his arms.

Hakkai, who had frozen upon hearing Ni's voice, attempted a recovery. "Good morning!"

Ni turned to him, face losing all traces of pleasantry. "I must give you some advice before you continue. One who breaks his promises has nothing to complain about when the process is repeated against him."

Hakkai turned his head, staring at the floor. Satisfied, Ni smiled once again, although the change didn't inspire confidence. "I look forward to seeing you both at breakfast."

"Yeah, sure…" Gojyo watched him leave, a bit disconcerted. Then he turned to Hakkai, who still had that look on his face. "You okay?"

He didn't look up. "I…I should go."

"But what about what you were talking about?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I should. I'm sorry…"

Before Gojyo could reply, the brunette took off, running down the hall. He momentarily considered following him, but he was distracted when he saw the door across the hall open.

Goku stepped out of Sanzo's room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He blinked a bit curiously, seeing Gojyo at his door. He bounded over to the redhead, taking a wary glance down the hall as he did so.

"What're you—"

"—Doing up so early, yeah yeah…"

"I was gonna say 'doing out here', but whatever."

"I came up here to talk to you, but it seems you were…" he paused, smirking a bit, "…otherwise occupied."

Goku's face turned bright red. "I…I stayed there last night because of…well, you know…"

Gojyo laughed. "I was just kidding, monkey. So what's up?"

The boy moved past him, opening his door. "I'm not a monkey, I told you that. But c'mon, I still want to talk to you."

He followed him inside the room, shutting the door behind them. Goku flopped on the bed, facing him with a serious look.

"It's about…the mirrors."

Gojyo sat down on the chair beside the bed. "You saw something, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Did you?"

"I don't know what's wrong with that place, but the mirrors show you things. Horrible things."

Goku looked worried. "But is it foretelling the future, or just making you look at bad things?"

Gojyo shrugged. "Haven't the slightest. But…I'm starting to think it might be a little prophetic."

The boy nervously clenched his fists. "Why do you say that?"

The redhead hesitated for a moment. "Because…of last night."

Goku looked shocked. "You saw…?"

Gojyo laughed humorlessly. "Yeah."

The two were silent for some time. During this time, Gojyo realized this was the first time he'd gotten a good look at the boy's room. It looked the same as all the others, except the entire place seemed to have notebooks strewn everywhere. They cluttered the tables, the bed, and the desk. There was also a typewriter on the desk, which explained the forgotten question of why Goku was carrying a ribbon their first day in the passage.

"Are you a writer or something?"

"Huh?" Goku looked up at him, before noticing his friend's attention on his room. "Oh. Not really. They're more like journals. Hakkai says it's a good idea to keep track in case I forget again."

"Forget?"

He nodded, picking up one of the notebooks randomly and flipping through it. "Yeah. I guess I've got amnesia or something. Everyone says there was this big thing that happened, but I can't remember it at all. I can't remember anything before it either. All I remember is being here, before Sanzo or Hakkai came."

Gojyo tilted his head curiously. "But I thought Hakkai said Sanzo came after him."

Goku slumped his shoulders, looking a bit depressed. "That's because Hakkai couldn't see me. Hakkai's always been up here. But for a long time, I was in the basement."

"The basement, why?"

He smiled sadly. "Y'know, the funny part is, I don't even remember why. All I know is, I was in the basement, and I couldn't get out. I was trapped there until Sanzo came and got me."

"Sanzo?"

The boy nodded. "Sanzo came and got me out of the basement. Then I was free to run around up here. That's why I'm telling you that Sanzo's not all mean. He's just trying to help, in his own kind of way."

Gojyo shook his head. "What kind of place would lock a kid in the basement?"

"That's what the problem is. Hakkai's been trying to tell you, but they're stopping him. Because they need us all, and they know you can make trouble."

"They who? Kannon? What're you talking about?" The redhead sat on the edge of his chair, leaning forward.

"More than he should be," Sanzo interrupted, walking into the room. Goku immediately jumped up, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Sanzo! I'm sorry, I—"

"Never mind. It's time for breakfast."

He was taken aback. "R-right…"

Sanzo looked at both of them in turn. "I want none of this to be repeated to anyone. Understand?"

"Okay," Goku said quietly. Gojyo offered no response, save for a brief nod.

"And don't talk about our trouble last night. I'm sure Hakkai feels bad enough." He muttered before turning to leave. Goku scrambled out after his guardian, and Gojyo followed at a slower pace.

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Breakfast was an awkward time. Everyone was pretending nothing had happened, but there was a careful air to any words spoken. Hakkai wasn't his normal self, looking down miserably at his plate. Gojyo and Goku were concentrating on not saying anything about their conversation. Sanzo seemed to be normal, but he never talked much anyway. Kannon and Ni were the same as well, grating on Gojyo's nerves with their attempts at unraveling them all.

Finally it was over, and Gojyo was interested in hearing the rest of Goku's story. Sanzo didn't seem to mind, and there might be the slightest possibility of getting some answers from him as well. Hakkai seemed to be avoiding him since the incident this morning, so he decided to give the brunette his space.

He reached the boy's door and went to knock when he heard voices. Goku and Sanzo's. Noticing the golden-eyed boy had left his door open a tiny bit, he silently leaned closer in, hoping to catch something important. 'Seems to be the only way to get straight answers around here,' he thought absently. Sanzo was sitting on the bed, reading his newspaper, and Goku sat beside him, watching.

"Are you mad at me?" Goku asked.

"Why would I be? Did you do something stupid?" Sanzo returned with another question, not looking away from his paper.

"Well, you don't seem to want to tell Gojyo anything. So I thought you might be mad at me because I did."

"It's no concern to me what you tell him."

"Even about this place?"

A slight pause. "I'd prefer you didn't, but you're free to make your own decisions."

Goku sounded a bit relieved. "What about Hakkai?"

"I think that's for Hakkai to decide, not you nor I." Sharp. It sounded like Sanzo was mad at Hakkai for something.

Or the blond was hiding some feelings of his own. Now that was an interesting thought. And for some reason, it made Gojyo just a little angry.

Movement returned his attention to the room. Goku laid his head on Sanzo's shoulder, closing his eyes with a sigh. "What are you gonna do about them?"

Finally Sanzo glanced up from his paper, looking at the boy. "I don't think I need to do anything. That idiot doesn't know what he's doing, but it's working."

Goku opened his eyes, meeting his gaze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, both the problems will take care of each other. We'll end this soon, either way." Sanzo took his reading glasses off, setting them on the table beside them.

"But…even if Gojyo…even if we can get out, what will happen? I don't remember…what I did before…"

"It doesn't matter," Sanzo cut him off. "That's the past. If you don't move forward, you're better off dead."

Goku smiled a little bit. "I could go with you…"

"Who says I want you tagging along after me?" though the question sounded serious, there was a slight smirk on the blond's lips.

Goku laughed a little, wrapping his arms around Sanzo and leaning against him once more. "So however it ends, we'll be okay, right?"

Sanzo didn't answer. Instead he pulled Goku's head up to face him, kissing the boy.

"You're such a stupid monkey."

Gojyo suddenly felt wrong. He turned from the door, walking away without a second look. While it explained a lot, there was nothing to be gained from watching that. He might have considered himself a pervert, but he wasn't a voyeur or something. He'd have to talk to Goku later.

He found himself walking by the passage once more. Suddenly the very thought of going back in there made his stomach churn. Just being near it made him slightly sick. He moved away from it quickly, heading downstairs.

In the parlor, he found Hakkai in one of the chairs, reading quietly. Gojyo sat on the couch next to him. "I've been talking to Goku."

Hakkai looked a little startled. "Really? What about?"

Gojyo considered his words briefly. "The basement."

"Oh."

Gojyo leaned closer. "You knew about it?"

Hakkai was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. "After the fact, yes. I didn't know about it when I came here. Sanzo's the one who found him."

"Do you know where it is?"

The brunette froze for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Gojyo, you can't—"

"Can you take me there?" he matched eyes with him. "I don't want to ask Goku, but I really want to see it. I'll make sure no one sees us."

Hakkai stared at him in disbelief for a few moments, before letting out a sigh, defeated. "A few minutes. No longer, alright?"

Gojyo nodded, smiling. "No problem. So how do we get there?"

"It's just past Kannon's office…"

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Kannon was in her office all day, aside from meals. No one knew what she did exactly, and no one asked. Gojyo and Hakkai walked quietly past her door on tiptoe. They heard to door open, and Gojyo quickly pushed himself and Hakkai around the corner. They peeked back to see Ni leaving Kannon's office. He didn't see them, and, once he was down the hall the opposite way, they continued on.

The door to the basement wasn't locked, as Gojyo suspected it might be. Hakkai flipped the lightswitch next to the door, but nothing happened. The redhead pulled a flashlight out of his jeans pocket.

"You're awfully prepared for this," Hakkai commented lightly.

"I'm getting used to it," Gojyo replied with a wink. He clicked on the flashlight and started down the wooden stairs.

It appeared to be a normal basement, boxes stored randomly and pipes running along the ceiling. Gojyo and Hakkai stood in the center of it, looking around.

"Poor Goku…" Hakkai said softly.

Gojyo nodded. The idea of someone keeping the boy down here for who-knows-how-long was infuriating.

Hakkai started walking back towards the door. "I don't think there's anything here for you to see."

"I guess not. I don't know what I was expecting anyway…" he started after his friend when something on the floor caught his attention. Leaning down, he picked up an old photo. He brought it closer to the light to examine. It was a picture of five people, four men around the same age as them, and what looked like a younger Goku.

A loud click sounded, echoing though the basement. Hakkai gasped, running up the stairs and pulling at the door. It didn't open.

"Someone locked us in!"

Gojyo shoved the photo in his pocket, joining him at the top of the stairs. They both pulled at the door, to no avail. They really had been locked in, and the lock was strong.

"Shit, what do we do now?" Gojyo turned around, leaning against the door angrily.

Hakkai paled. "I knew this was a bad idea…"

Gojyo sighed. "Don't worry about it. We'll find a way out somehow."

He shook his head, walking back down the stairs. "We need to leave now! There's not much time left!"

"Time for what?"

"It's almost—" he stopped suddenly. Then he fell to his knees with a pained scream.

Gojyo backed up against the door. He'd forgotten about that. "Oh shit."

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I just know I'm gonna get shot for all these cliffhangers…Heh. The good news is that the wound in my arm is healing from the blood drive, so I can bend my arm right again. More updates, whoo! Any more scary suggestions anyone? It's a free-for-all! And here's the review responses!

adakie: Glad to know you've picked this up! Hee. Sorry about lack of updates, but I've covered that in the author notes.

Crimson Water Sprite:laughs: I dunno if I can do more shower scenes, but I promise a lot of good action...and I think you know what I mean.

Cyra Hakkai: I cannot resist the puppy look! Must. Update. Blar.

Shiomi: I know about the 39 thing. I was planning it, but it never got in there real good. I hope you liked this chappeh tho!

Attiqah Gensui: Ack! But if you strangle meh, how are you gonna get your updates:bats eyelashes:

Koryu-Sanzo: Man, I got a lot of 39 fans reading this. I'm gonna have to step it up, aren't I:grins:

NekoMegami-chan: Better late than never, ne?

The Jolly Leprechaun: Your name makes meh smile. Therefore you make meh smile. Have an update.

VG Terra: Wow, a comparision to the Shining. I'm flattered! Thankehs for popping in, and commenting. I hope you like what you read!

SweetSnowCherryBlossomDarkness: Yes ice cream is good. And he's been through so much he needs a little reward, doncha think:gives him some mint chocolate chip offstage:

Ondesxaiver: Problem is, this WAS asap...:sweatdrops: But here it is!

narrizan: You see, Goku had to interrupt because of the main point: I'm a wuss who can't write action. Therefore, I find clever plot devices who I can give a cookie to go intterupt. :pats Goku on the head:

C.T. Saiyukilly Twisted: Now I REALLY want Reload. And I really hadn't thought of Seiten in there yet...Hmm...

altered carbon: Don't worry, we'll beh the club that's never seen Reload together:waves flag:


	9. I was running for the door

Hotel California

Chapter Nine: I was running for the door…

A/N: I felt super bad for the delay this summer, so I'm working extra hard on making up for it. My sacrifice is an all-nighter on a crappy laptop. -weak smile-

Oh yeah, obviously if you haven't gotten it by now, just about every chappeh is going to have at least one instance of shounen-ai from here on out. If it gets too bad I'll prewarn, but for the most part just count on some fluff, okay?

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Upon retrospect, knowing something was wrong with Hakkai in the evenings, it was probably wasn't the best idea for Gojyo to convince his friend to lead him into a dark empty room with locking doors. But hindsight was twenty-twenty, and reasoning upon the past wasn't going to help Gojyo in his current situation.

Backed up against the door, Gojyo scanned the basement, looking for anything that could help him get out of the locked room. Finding nothing, he returned his attention to Hakkai, who had yet to move from his spot on the floor where he'd collapsed. He had his hands buried in his hair, which seemed to be growing longer. He screamed again in fresh pain, and Gojyo almost ran to him in concern, stopping himself just in time, remembering the incidents in his room and the courtyard.

Watching Hakkai with rising fear, he groped blindly behind him for the doorknob, yanking as hard as he could. The vine tattoos were beginning to appear on Hakkai's arms in winding curls and spirals, while his nails slowly grew into claws. Gojyo knew there wasn't much time left before Hakkai lost what little control over himself his was maintaining.

He spun around, examining the door to see if he could break it down. He slammed against it with his shoulder, using all his strength. The door stayed put. He tried it again to the same avail. Turning again, he factored his chances of making it down the stairs and past Hakkai before the brunette's control broke. Maybe there was another exit somewhere in the room, a door, a window, anything. He took a deep breath and bolted down the stairs before he could change his mind. Running past his friend, Hakkai looked at him for the first time since his episode had begun. Gojyo turned his head, unable to look at the pain in the green eyes. He hit the wall before he could skid to a halt, the impact knocking the wind out of him momentarily.

Rows of dusty bookshelves lined the back wall, and the redhead leaned against them in an attempt to catch his breath. He didn't see any kind of escape, not even one of those tiny windows. His mind raced for another option.

Suddenly something slammed into him, pressing him painfully against the shelves. Gojyo let out a groan as Hakkai grabbed his shoulders and shoved him harder into the dusty wood. He coughed, struggling to free himself from the shorter man's grip. While normally Gojyo had the advantage of strength against Hakkai—although he's never tested the theory—this time the brunette had the benefit of both surprise and Gojyo was pretty sure his new form was much stronger.

Gojyo wrapped his leg around Hakkai's and kicked, sending him to the floor and freeing himself. He took off before Hakkai could get up, racing up the stairs once again, only to trip over the second step and fall down as well.

Hakkai was up by this time, closing the distance quickly. Gojyo backed up, crab-style, against the closest wall, reaching blindly for some sort of weapon. His hand grasped a book, and he flung it at his attacker. It happened to be a large book, thick and heavy. It hit Hakkai in the chest, but it was only a momentary reprise. Gojyo pulled book after book from the shelf, tossing them in Hakkai's direction.

After a minute or so of this, there was nothing left for him to grab; he was out of books. He stood up, considering his chances in being able to throw the shelf itself. He pulled at it.

To his surprise, the shelf moved at this, but not in his hand. It moved aside, revealing another secret passage. Without a moment's hesitation, the redhead ducked inside, slamming the shelf back into place. He leaned against it, hoping that he had enough leverage to keep Hakkai from getting in. Something poked him in the back, which, upon investigation, turned out to be a lock. With a silent prayer to the god of luck, he locked the passage.

While the passage in the upstairs hall was constantly pitch-black, this tunnel offered a little in the way of natural light. At least enough to see his way with, since he'd managed to drop his flashlight in the fight. He continued along the path, which was basically one-way, save for a few sporadic doors, for what seemed like half an hour. Finally he reached the exit. He opened the door a crack, in case he wound up in someone's room or something.

The passage ended in the dining room. Fortunately it was empty at the time. Gojyo made a note of this as he slipped out, closed it tightly behind him and started back to his room. He locked his door before taking a shower.

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After hours of trying, Gojyo determined that he couldn't sleep. He decided to check the new passage. He'd passed up exploring the doors in favour of a quick escape, and now he was curious as to what else was down there. He slipped out of his room, careful not to wake Hakuryuu, and tiptoed downstairs.

Once inside the passage, he made his way to the first of the doors. It was locked, so he continued on. The next was more profitable, though the handle was a bit rusted and let out a creak when turned.

The room was small and obviously neglected. Cobwebs lined the walls and furniture, and everything was coated in a visible layer of dust. There wasn't much in the way of contents either. A large black file cabinet sat against the wall, next to an old wooden desk. There were tables lining the rest of the room, but there was nothing on them.

He went to the file cabinet first, opening the top drawer. It was empty, as was the other drawers. Disappointed, he moved to the desk drawers. Here he met more luck. There were a few file folders in one, and a small book in the other. He flipped open the book, which turned out to be someone's journal, and began to read. It looked very old, but the dates on the entries didn't list the year.

_12/14_

_The Secondary subject has completed the experimentation process. He is being allowed to roam, although the remaining subjects from the first series are still under captivity. The boy is under control, although the Dragon is resisting fiercely. Drastic measures will have to be taken soon if he doesn't start cooperating. The Secondary, however, looks promising, and there shouldn't be any trouble controlling him. He rejects his 'other side', and will do as told to keep the demon at bay._

_The limiters seem to be holding the power in check, in both subjects. To prevent another accident, the Primary subject will need further investigation before he can be freed. His memories have been erased, including all traces of the accident, as well as Konzen, Tenpou, Gojun or Kenren. _

Kenren? Hadn't he heard that name before? Sanzo had compared him to someone with that name. It seemed unlikely that it was a different person. Kenren wasn't exactly a common name…

_12/16_

_The new inhabitant has arrived today. He bears a resemblance to Konzen; I'm almost forced to wonder if they're related. Kannon has forbid any experiments on him, however. He and the Secondary subject seem to be interacting well._

_The subjects have been progressing nicely. The Primary is almost ready for interaction again, and the Secondary is back to a regular routine. We've allowed him to keep the cat, as the animal comforts him. He is unaware of the animal's true form._

Cat? Hakuryuu? Could they be talking about Hakkai?

Gojyo shut the book and turned to the files. There were two of them, one marked 'Primary' and one marked 'Secondary'. He flipped open the Secondary folder. Inside were lab reports that he couldn't really understand. Behind them were personal information reports, each with a small photo paper clipped to the front. One of them was for Goku and the other for Hakkai. The Primary folder contained the same, only five reports instead of two. He recognized the people in them as the same from the picture he'd found in the basement.

Whoever had written this had either experimented on people here, or at least was crazy enough to think he had. Who were these other people? Gojyo assumed them to be former hotel guests. He flipped to the last report in the Primary folder, the kid who looked like Goku.

The name on the report was the same. Confused, Gojyo flipped back to Goku's report in the Secondary folder. He was definitely in both series. Was Goku the survivor from the Primary series the book had talked about? It explained the boy's curious amnesia, and why he was locked in the basement. And if the Secondary was Hakkai, then the new inhabitant must have been Sanzo. But why wouldn't Kannon let them experiment on him, if she'd allowed the others?

Well, if he wasn't sleeping before, he certainly wasn't now.

He looked up, remembering where he was. He decided to take the book and folders back with him to read. He still had a few rooms to go, and he felt a lot more comfortable in his room than sitting on the floor like cannon fodder.

The next room was locked as well, and Gojyo started to consider breaking these doors down. He came to the last door in the passage, which was jammed. Obviously these rooms hadn't been used in awhile. Determined to finish his search, he forced the door open.

The room looked like a mad scientist's lab from an old movie. Steel lab tables were centered in the room, caked in what looked suspiciously like very old blood. All kinds of machinery, old and rusted, stacked up against the walls. Gojyo had no idea what these machines did, and he had little desire to find out. Along the back wall, there were shelves with glass jars lining them. A thick coat of dust obscured the objects inside the jars.

Cautiously, Gojyo moved to the lab tables, looking around with a mix of awe and disgust. A rolling table was next to the tables, complete with rather antique-looking surgeon's tools. The redhead knew little about history, but he did know that medical procedures were pretty gory back in the day. He shuddered to think of the victims.

He started to the back of the room to investigate the jars. Halfway there, a noise stopped him dead in his tracks. Footsteps, and they sounded like they were coming closer. Quickly, he ducked behind one of the shelves in the back of the room, just as the door opened. He couldn't see much from his vantage point, only a pair of legs and something white…

Hakuryuu. What was the cat doing down here?

"Are you happy now?" an irritated voice asked. Hakkai's 'other half', "There's no one here. I don't know where he went, but he's not here. Stop being so paranoid."

Hakuryuu mewed in protest.

"I don't know! Do I look like his keeper. You're the one supposed to be watching him! He doesn't trust me anymore, and during the day I can't get control. Am I supposed to do everything around here?"

The cat meowed again, sounding a bit angry.

"Oh just shut up. How much do you expect to accomplish as a cat? If you'd done your job right before, you wouldn't be in this position, now would you?"

Hakuryuu hissed.

"Fine, whatever. He's probably just in the dining room anyway. Let's go before you have kittens or something…OW! What'd I tell you about biting!"

The door slammed, and the footsteps retreated. Gojyo waited until they faded completely before coming out of hiding. Whatever that was all about, there was something odd about Hakuryuu. Something more sentient than a cat should be. At least now he knew why it always seemed like the cat understood him when he talked to him. And he knew why Hakuryuu had stayed in his room since Hakkai'd been all weird; he'd assigned the cat to watch him in his absence.

But this other half of Hakkai only came out at night. During the day the real Hakkai managed to keep control. This meant that Gojyo could trust Hakkai until nightfall.

He peeked his head out the door to make sure the two weren't still in the passage. The coast was clear, so he made his escape.

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Back in his own room, he hid the files under some papers in the desk. He began to read the journal, sprawled out on his bed, with the door locked.

_1/5_

_The lab is shut down. Another accident occurred, this time at the fault of Gojun, from the Primary series. He somehow managed to sneak into the lab, and, in the process of trying to return himself to his old form, caused some of the machinery to malfunction. He did not regain his form, and the Secondary remains unaware of his pet's true nature. The Secondary calls the animal 'Hakuryuu'. Gojun is beginning to answer to that. The lab clean up was almost impossible, and as a result, most of the machinery is broken. The working equipment will be moved into a new location._

Hakuryuu was an experiment too. One of the two survivors from Goku's accident. Since the journal started with the Secondary series, the writer didn't seem all that interested in explaining what this accident was. But from what Gojyo gathered, something happened that killed Konzen, Tenpou and Kenren. Goku and Gojun survived. Goku got his memories wiped clean, and Gojun was turned into a cat. After that, Hakkai was brought in, the Secondary. And then Sanzo came in, unaware of what was going on.

For the countless time since he'd gotten here, Gojyo got the vibe that he'd entered a B-movie.

_1/10_

_The Primary and Secondary limiters seem to be holding nicely, and it appears the technology needs only a few minor adjustments to keep for long periods of time._

_The inhabitant seems to be doing some detective work around the passages. He also seems to be showing an interest in the Primary. He seems dedicated to protecting the boy, although his attitude would tell you different. The inhabitant projects an icy demeanor that would suggest that he was uncaring. On several occasions, however, he's been responsible for keeping the boy away from me. Kannon indulges him, strangely enough, and it's becoming increasingly harder to get the boy for experiments._

_The Secondary is becoming increasingly withdrawn. I sense depression. Publicly, he seems good-spirited, but I believe that this is a defense method. Tests are necessary to determine the subject's mental status._

_1/13_

_The inhabitant has found the lab. When he took the Primary from the basement, he discovered the lab passageway. Now he has taken the opportunity to search the passage, and found the old lab. He's found the files, and stumbled onto the secret._

_Kannon has—ridiculously, in my opinion—struck a deal with him. He has agreed to be passive about the situation, in exchange for the Primary's freedom. She has agreed to this, so I am forced to relinquish authority over the Primary. If the Primary were to be reminded of what happened, it could be catastrophic, and I'm not exactly sure what this would do to the Secondary or the Animal._

_The Secondary's tests show signs of depression and self-hatred. He will have to be watched to prevent him from doing something drastic. I've put this task to the Animal. He believes I can return his form to him, and I'll let him believe this as long as I need to_.

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Gojyo awoke later that morning, with the book draped over his chest, and someone knocking on his door. Slipping the book inn the desk with the files, he went to the door, stretching languidly as he walked. He opened the door and found both Goku and Hakuryuu standing there. Once the door was open, the cat slipped past them both, indignantly curling up in the chair.

"You locked your door last night," Goku stepped inside, "Are you okay?"

Gojyo cast a glance at Hakuryuu before answering. "Yeah. I'm just kinda worried about that guy getting in, and I didn't notice Hakuryuu wasn't here."

The answer seemed to satisfy the cat, who closed his eyes. After a moment, Goku registered what he meant and nodded. "Wanna walk to breakfast?"

"Sure," Gojyo shut the door behind him.

"Hakkai asked me to talk to you," Goku whispered after the door was closed. "He said to make sure no one knew, even Hakuryuu. I dunno why though…"

'You wouldn't…' the redhead thought.

"Anyway, he's in his room, okay? I'll tell Kannon you're in the shower or something, so don't take too long."

Gojyo nodded, and the boy ran down the hall. After watching him down the stairs, he turned and walked to the brunette's room. He knocked on the door, and it opened a bit.

"Gojyo?"

"Are you gonna ask me for a password?" he asked with a smirk. "Cuz the monkey didn't give me one."

Hakkai smiled, opening the door and ushering him in. Gojyo took a seat on the chair. Instead of sitting however, Hakkai stood next to him, looking him over.

"Um…yes?"

Hakkai frowned worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Oh. You mean about last night, right? I'm fine. But I did a little research too."

"What?"

Gojyo explained everything to him, from his escape into the passage to the journal. Hakkai didn't say anything, only watched him carefully. Finally, he sighed. "So you know what's going on then?"

"Somewhat. I'm not done reading yet, and the journal doesn't have all the stuff about this Primary thing, but I know a lot more than I did."

Hakkai went to his desk, digging through the bottom drawer. "I can't explain anything to you, it's too dangerous to try. But I can give you something," he extracted a ledger from the drawer, handing it to Gojyo. "These are a different set of notes. These are from one of the experiments, Tenpou. He did a lot of research on himself and his friends, trying to figure out what was going on. He and Kenren were also working on a plan to free them all."

"So what happened?"

"They never made it to completion."

Gojyo stared at the ledger in his hands. "The accident."

Hakkai nodded. "You have to be careful with this though. Don't let anyone see you with it, not even Hakuryuu."

"Yeah, your other half put him in charge of watching me. I heard them last night." He crossed his arms.

"I hope this can clear things up for you, and it might help us in the long run. Sanzo thinks you can help, and we're running into a sense of urgency. I've lost one of my limiters, Kannon's beginning to forget her promise to Sanzo, and I'm afraid you might be next."

"For what? An experiment? The guy's still alive?"

Hakkai regarded him seriously. "Gojyo, do you know who wrote that journal?"

Gojyo shook his head. "It looks old though. I guessed that the guy kicked the bucket decades ago."

The brunette smiled, without a trace of humour. "If we could be so lucky. The writer of the journal, and the one in charge of the experiments…is Ni."

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Ooh, suspense. You guys'd prolly already guessed that tho, huh? -grins- You guys are pretty smart about this stuff. Well, my wrists hurt and I've listened to the Code Lyoko theme in French about a hundred times while writing this, so I'll get right to review responses!

VG Terra: Actually, yes it is, which, coincidentally, I'm listening to while I type this. -grins- Your idea is awesome! Very creepy indeed! And if you have some connected to the song, even better!

Koryu-Sanzo: -laughs- Enjoying that part, ne?

C.T Saiyukilly Twisted: I could, but I'm flat broke. -laughs- Maybeh someday... Glad you liked the 39, and I can definately see the possiblity of Seiten...(yes I could read it quite clearly. -winks-)

Ondesxaiver: Always happy to please a fellow fan.

Wantanabe Emi: It's a looooong story involving captivity. But I'm FREE now. Hope this quick update made up for my absence?

Kurisutaru39: -coughcough- I don't know WHO it might beh! -winks- How could I? I happen to beh a sadist with cliffhangers. Sorry to beh the one to tell ya... Good to know you're still clingin' on. Don't worry, I get really behind sometimes too. -grins- You have no idea how much catching up I have to do from summer...Eesh.

Until next time!


	10. In the Master's chambers

Hotel California

Chapter Ten: In the Master's chamber…

A/N: I've come to the point where I just have to sit back and wonder…what the hell was I on when writing the last chappeh? If I confused anyone else, I'm sorry, cuz I know I confused myself. -grins- So now what? We'll find out, won't we?

Sorry once again for the slow update. I've got a job now, plus I was confused on just where to go next with this. -looks around- The fact that I'm also writing FFIX ficcehs has NOTHING to do with it…

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Every now and then, someone says something shocking, in which your only reply is humour. Your brain just can't process both what you're being told as well as a good reaction. So the first thing you think is what comes out.

"I knew he wasn't the building inspector."

Hakkai regarded him for a moment, before bursting out into a fit of laughter. Gojyo waited until this subsided before continuing, a bit more intelligently. "Okay. So you're saying that we're just taking over for the past experiments, because they died before the experiment was finished?"

The brunette coughed, the last of his laughter dying down. "I believe so, yes. I wasn't here when the Primary experiments were, so I don't know exactly what it was about, or the 'incident' either. But I do know that each person here corresponds to one of the Primary experiments."

"Goku and Gojun are themselves…" the redhead thought out loud. "Sanzo looks just like Konzen, I'm…Kenren?"

Hakkai nodded. "Leaving me as Tenpou."

Gojyo ran a hand through his hair absently. "So we know that much. But what's the experiment about? Something to do with those limiter things?"

His gaze went to the floor, self-consciously. "We—that is to say Goku and I—are using the limiters. They control the powers that were fused into us with Ni's experiments."

"So your 'other half'…"

"Is what happens when those limiters are removed or malfunctioning."

Gojyo decided to change the subject for now. "And Gojun's trapped as Hakuryuu. Kannon won't let Ni mess with Sanzo. Do you know why?"

Hakkai considered this. "It's because of Konzen, I believe. She regrets letting Konzen become part of the experiment, because it led to his death."

"But why him and not the others?"

Hakkai stood, beginning to make his bed. "Konzen was Kannon's nephew."

Gojyo crossed his arms. "So she's trying to make up for it by leaving Sanzo alone? Isn't that going to screw up the experiment?"

He smoothed out the creases in the sheet. "I don't know."

The redhead looked down at the notebook in his hands. "How'd you get hold of this?"

Hakkai stopped momentarily to smirk at Gojyo. "Well, I AM Tenpou, aren't I?"

The two were silent for awhile, as Hakkai worked on his chore. Gojyo got up, taking a blanket and helping. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Hey, 'Kai?"

"Hmm?"

"When your…at night, do you…do you see what your other part does?"

There was a slight pause, as if he was considering something. Then finally, "Yes."

The thought finally clicked in his mind. "It's still you isn't it? It's not like some split personality thing, just a more powerful version of yourself?"

Another pause. "Something like that," he looked like a guilty child being forced to tell the truth to an adult. "It's…complicated."

Gojyo set the blanket down, looking Hakkai straight in the face. "So before, in my room…"

Hakkai couldn't match the gaze, and looked away.

Before Gojyo could ask anything further, someone knocked on the door. Hakkai answered it, and Sanzo stood there, looking mildly annoyed, but a tiny bit worried. It was the latter that surprised Gojyo more than the blonde's sudden appearance.

"Kannon's asking about you two. You'd better come down before you look suspicious."

Hakkai nodded. "We'll be right down. Tell her we're looking for Hakuryuu."

Sanzo shrugged, starting back down the hall. Hakkai turned back to Gojyo. "You do realize that none of this gets word to Kannon, Ni, or Hakuryuu."

Gojyo nodded. "I'm not an idiot. Those guys are bad news. Sanzo and Goku are okay though, right?"

"Yes. Sanzo's been helping bit by bit since he's become convinced Ni's not going to let a promise stop him from his goals. And Goku…"

Gojyo grinned. "He'll do whatever his keeper tells him."

He received an admonishing smile from the brunette. "I was going to say that he's a valuable asset to this mission, but I suppose your statement is true as well."

"He might not know exactly what to do, but once Sanzo gives him an order he'll follow through."

Hakkai nodded. "We'd better get down there before they send someone else up."

Gojyo smirked. "It's a dead man's party, who could ask for more?" 1

Hakkai blinked. "What?"

"Nothing."

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After breakfast, Gojyo suggested that he and Hakkai do one final search of the courtyard for Hakkai's limiter. The brunette was a bit hesitant, but finally agreed, thinking it couldn't hurt to look once more.

It was beginning to get colder outside, a sign that it was getting closer to winter. Gojyo noticed this with a start. It hadn't been _that_ long since he'd come here, had it? This place had a way of making time seem different. While outside, it had been probably a month or two, inside it still felt like only a few weeks had passed. Time was beginning to slip from him, as it had from Hakkai, Goku and Sanzo. Pretty soon he'd forget the outside world entirely. He had to get out of here before that happened.

The film of moss had returned to the fountain water, after Hakkai had disturbed it on their last visit to the courtyard. Neither of them really said anything while attempting to find the metal circlet. After about an hour or so with no results, they gave up.

Gojyo sat on one of the benches, wrapping his arms around himself. "I don't think it's here. All I'm finding is cold."

Hakkai nodded, standing next to him. "I believe you're right. Which is why I'm sure Ni did something with it. Otherwise it'd be here, don't you think?"

"Should be. So our next step is…?"

He shrugged, pulling his scarf tighter against his neck. "We really don't have much other option than to wait for Ni to decide to give it back."

"Can't we sneak in and take it?"

"He'd know."

"Right," Gojyo shook his head. "Damn…"

"Something wrong?"

The redhead looked up at him, a small smile playing at his face. "I was kinda looking forward to you staying with me again. Can't really do that if you've got that urge to kill going on…"

Hakkai looked shocked. "Gojyo…"

He laughed a little, humourlessly. "Yeah, I know. I remember what you said," he sighed, standing up. "Just making a joke is all…"

Hakkai got the impression that he sounded a little disappointed. He didn't have time to think upon that however, as Gojyo quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into one of the monstrous hedges. Surprised, he tripped and fell, landing directly on his friend.

"Gojyo, what—?" he managed before Gojyo's hand clamped over his mouth. The redhead put a finger to his own lips to tell him to be quiet and Hakkai nodded.

They looked out into the space they'd just left. Sanzo and Ni walked into their vision, dressed in their coats as well. As always, Ni looked calm and Sanzo looked annoyed.

"Can we go now? I told you they weren't out here," Sanzo snapped.

"Hmm…" Ni looked around. "I suppose they're not."

The blond crossed his arms. "I don't understand why you're so intent on finding them."

Ni turned to stare at Sanzo with that unnerving gaze of his. "I had wondered, by chance, if someone was breaking their promise and letting information slip."

Sanzo returned the gaze coolly. "I haven't told that idiot anything. Maybe _you're_ just getting sloppy."

"Humph." Ni walked past him, pausing when they were side by side. "I hope for your sake…and your _charge's_, that you're not letting down your end of the deal. Kannon might have a soft spot for you, but rest assured that I do not."

He walked away, leaving Sanzo glaring at the air in front of him. After a moment, he turned and left as well.

Gojyo looked at Hakkai. "I suppose we're gonna have to wrap things up a bit quicker than you'd planned, huh?"

Hakkai nodded. "Before something happens to Goku…or Sanzo. Have any ideas?"

He grinned. "Hey, I thought you were the brains of this outfit…"

Hakkai was suddenly aware of their positions. He was still laying on top of Gojyo from his fall. Gojyo's hand was still wrapped around his wrist as well. He flushed a bit. "Um…"

Gojyo looked down. "Oh! Sorry about that. I didn't want them to see us."

He let go of the brunette's wrist and sat up, taking the shorter man with him. This resulted in a slightly more awkward position with Hakkai straddling Gojyo's hips. Hakkai flushed deeper and scrambled off him, getting to his feet.

Gojyo stood as well, smiling slightly. He tugged on Hakkai's scarf. "You're blushing."

Hakkai looked away, embarrassed. "It's cold out."

He suddenly found himself pushed up against the brick wall. He gasped, looking at Gojyo. The redhead leaned over him, pressing against him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped as Gojyo pressed their lips together.

The thought momentarily forgotten, Hakkai began to respond. Finally reason caught up with him, and he pushed at Gojyo, who broke away. He looked at the brunette questioningly and Hakkai shook his head.

"I…I can't. I'm sorry."

He pushed himself out of Gojyo's grasp, running inside. Gojyo stood, frozen in place. After awhile, his shoulders slumped and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Dammit…"

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Gojyo didn't speak with Hakkai for the rest of the day. The brunette had made himself scarce, he didn't even come to dinner. The entire day was spent cursing himself for screwing things up.

It was later on that night, when Gojyo'd finally given up and went to bed, when he first heard the door open. It started with a thump, like something colliding with it. Gojyo leapt up, moving to the door. Before he could reach it, it opened, and Hakkai fell in, collapsing on the floor.

Slightly alarmed at his demon form, Gojyo hesitated. Hakkai was clutching his right arm, and the sleeve was drenched in wet red. Danger forgotten, he went to Hakkai's side, kneeling next to him. "Hakkai! What the hell happened?"

Hakkai looked up at him through tendrils of long hair, shocked. He didn't say anything. Gojyo grabbed his arm, holding it out for inspection. A long gash ran down the outer part of it, deep and bleeding. With a curse, he pulled the brunette up, leading him to the bathroom. Hakkai sat on the edge of the tub while Gojyo took a washcloth and cleaned up the wound. After a quick search of the room and finding nothing to wrap it with, he tore the bottom hem of his shirt, pulling it apart in strips. He wrapped the strips of cloth tight, but not too tight, around Hakkai's arm.

The wound treated, he looked at Hakkai. "Are you okay?"

Hakkai stared at him for a moment, then finally spoke. "Yes."

Gojyo let go of the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "What happened?"

"I tried to get it back…"

"Your limiter? Did Ni do this to you?"

Hakkai nodded. It took all of Gojyo's will not to slam a fist into the wall. Instead he clenched his fists for awhile, before growling. "How do you feel?"

"I'm…okay. I'm not about to murder you, if that's what you're asking."

Gojyo nodded. "Then you're staying here tonight."

Hakkai stood up. "No! I can't do that! There's no telling—"

"I don't care. If Ni did this, he might try something else. I'm not running the risk of you getting hurt anymore. Demon or not, I'm not letting you out of my sight," he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Besides. It'll be morning in an hour or so anyway. That's probably why you've got most of your control back."

Hakkai was shaking his head frantically, panicking. "No! I won't let you get hurt! I can't! I wouldn't forgive myself if I hurt you!"

He made a run for the door, but Gojyo was ready this time. He caught the shorter man, bringing them both to the floor. Hakkai thrashed in his grip, but Gojyo held on tight.

"I can't! I can't get close to you! I'm going to end up hurting you, just like she said! Just like I saw! That's why I have to stay away!" Finding struggle useless, Hakkai finally gave up and went limp, burying his face in Gojyo's chest.

"What?" Gojyo still held him, in case he tried to escape again. "What do you mean?"

"Kannon…she told me that if I got close to you…I'd wind up hurting you…she showed me in this mirror. I saw myself in it…and you…"

"Stabbed in the back…" Gojyo muttered, remembering his own vision in the passage's mirrors.

Hakkai looked up at him. He had been crying. There were still tears lining his eyes. "How…?"

Gojyo shook his head. "I'll explain it later. Right now, you need to get some sleep. I'm not going to let go, so you might as well just give up."

"Gojyo…"

He smiled sadly. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to either of us. You trust me, right?"

Hakkai nodded slowly, before laying his head on the redhead's shoulder.

"Your arm okay?"

"It'll be fine. Thanks."

Gojyo rested his chin on Hakkai's head. Soon he felt the green-eyed man drift asleep against him. He was almost asleep himself, as his fogged mind registered a small flash of white.

Hakuryuu.

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1 Gojyo's quoting one of my favourite songs, "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo. It seemed a bit appropriate. -grins-

Whoo…Again, sorry this took so long, but my compeh ate half of it the first time, and I forgot what all I wrote. I think the rewrite is just as good tho. The plot's getting thicker… what will become of our heroes? Dunno, but let's head to review responses!

narrizan: -laughs- Watch out...I might beh tempted to do something like that!

Cyra Hakkai: Wow, thankehs! -grins- I'm already paranoid about my cat, that's where I got the idea.

Koryu-Sanzo: Hope this helps! I knew you guys would pick up the Ni thing...

SanzoxGoku Lover: Sorry about the lack of 39 in this one. I'll make sure I keep up with it tho!

Attiqah Gensui: What exactly are you so intent on strangling? -inches away- Yeah. Look forward to a lot of crazy stuff concering the Gaiden crew...

tigermink: Thankehs! Updates will usually only happen on Wednesdays, cuz that's my day off. I'll try for every week, but I'm juggling a lot of works right now. -grins- Glad you're enjoying it tho!

Wantabe Emi: -laughs- Thankehs. Luckily I love enclosed spaces...now if we could do something about the people...

kurisuturu39: -blinks- I think we have a Ni fan...Aw, does soemone need their rabies shot? Yesh, they do!

-laughs- Until next update!


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